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HI'^     "^XCELLENCY 

[SON    EXC.    EUGENE    ROUGON) 
BY 

6MILE    ZOLA 


WITH    A    PREFACE   BY   ERNEST   A.    VIZETELLY 


SOLE  AUTHORISED  ENGLISH  VERSION 


THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

LONDON:  MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Ltd. 
1897 


CONTENTS 


THAPrER  rAGH 

I.  THE    CORPS   L^GISLATIF              •••..•  I 

11.  RESIGNATION 22 

III.  MADEMOISELLE    CLORINDE         ......  48 

IV.  AN    IMPERIAL    CHRISTENING 74 

V.  PASSION    AND    MATRIMONY 99 

\T:.  IN    RETIREMENT 117 

VII.  AT    COURT 142 

VIII.  RECALLED    TO    POWER 173 

IX.  IN    OFFICE 204 

X.  A    TRIP    TO    NIORT 232 

XI.  IN    COUNCIL    AT    ST.    CLOUD 262 

XII.  DEFECTION           ...                                    ....  286 

XIII.  clorinde's  revenge 313 

XIV.  TRANSFORMATION 342 


PREFACE 


We  live  at  such  high  speed  nowadays,  and  the  Second  French 
Empire  is  already  so  far  behind  us,  that  I  am  inchned  to 
place  Son  Excellence  Eugene  Rougon  in  the  category  of  his- 
torical novels.  In  some  degree  it  certainly  belongs  to  another 
class  of  fiction,  the  political  novel,  which  in  Great  Britain 
sprouted,  blossomed,  and  faded  away  contemporaneously  with 
the  career  of  Benjamin  Disraeli.  But,  unlike  Disraeli's  work, 
it  does  not  deal  with  theories  or  possibilities.  Whatever 
political  matter  it  may  contain  is  a  record  of  incidents  which 
really  occurred,  of  intrigues  which  were  matured,  of  opinions 
which  were  more  or  less  publicly  expressed  while  the  third 
Napoleon  was  ruling  France.  In  my  opinion,  with  all  due 
allowance  for  its  somewhat  limited  range  of  subject.  Son 
Excellence  Eugene  Rougon  is  the  one  existing  French  novel 
which  gives  the  reader  a  fair  general  idea  of  what  occurred  in 
political  spheres  at  an  important  period  of  the  Empire.  It  is 
a  book  for  foreigners  and  particularly  Englishmen  to  read 
with  profit,  for  there  are  yet  many  among  them  who  cherish 
the  delusion  that  Napoleon  III.  was  not  only  a  good  and  true 
friend  of  England,  but  also  a  wise  and  beneficent  ruler  of 
France  ;  and  this,  although  his  reign  began  with  bloodshed 
and  trickery,  was  prolonged  by  means  of  innumerable  subter- 
fuges, and  ended  in  woe,  horror,  and  disgrace. 

The  present  translation  of  M.  Zola's  book  was  not  made 
by  me,  but  I  have  revised  it  somewhat  severely  with  the 
object  of  ensuring  greater  accuracy  in  all  the  more  important 
passages,  and  of  improving  the  work  generally.     And,  subject 


vi  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

to  those  limitations  which  deference  for  the  opinion  of  the 
majority  of  Enghsh-speakuig  readers  has  imposed  on  the  trans- 
lator and  myself,  I  consider  that  this  rendering  fully  conveys 
the  purport  of  the  original.  During  the  work  of  revision  I 
was  struck  by  the  great  care  shown  by  M.  Zola  in  the  hand- 
ling of  his  subject.  There  is,  of  course,  some  fiction  in  the 
book ;  but,  again  and  again,  page  after  page,  I  have  found  a 
simple  record  of  fact,  just  deftly  adapted  to  suit  the  require- 
ments of  the  narrative.  The  history  of  the  Second  Empire  is 
probably  as  familiar  to  me  as  it  is  to  M.  Zola  himself — for, 
like  him,  I  grew  to  manhood  in  its  midst,  with  better  oppor- 
tunities, too,  than  he  had  of  observing  certain  of  its  dis- 
tinguishing features — and  thus  I  have  been  able  to  identify 
innumerable  incidents  and  allusions,  and  trace  to  their  very 
source  some  of  the  most  curious  passages  in  the  book.  And 
it  is  for  this  reason,  and  by  virtue  of  my  own  knowledge  and 
experience,  that  I  claim  for  His  Excellency  the  merit  of 
reflecting  things  as  they  really  were  in  the  earlier  years  of  the 
Imperial  regime. 

Against  one  surmise  the  reader  must  be  cautioned. 
Napoleon  III.  and  the  Empress  Eugenie  figure  in  the  follow- 
ing pages  without  disguise  ;  and  wherever  the  name  of  the 
Count  de  Marsy  appears,  that  of  the  infamous  Duke  de 
Morny — whom  Sir  Eobert  Peel,  in  one  of  his  most  slashing 
speeches,  did  not  scruple  to  call  the  greatest  jobber  in 
Europe — may  be  read  without  a  moment's  hesitation.  But 
his  Excellency  Eugene  Eougon  is  not,  as  many  critics  and 
others  have  supposed,  a  mere  portrait  or  caricature  of  his 
Excellency  Eugene  Eoiiher,  the  famous  Vice-Emperor  of 
history.  Symbolism  is  to  be  found  in  every  one  of  M.  Zola's 
novels,  and  Eougon,  in  his  main  lines,  is  but  the  symbol  of  a 
principle,  or,  to  be  accurate,  the  symbol  of  a  certain  form  of 
the  principle  of  authority.  His  face  is  Rouher's,  like  his 
build  and  his  favourite  gesture  ;  but  with  Rouher's  words, 
actions,  opinions,  and  experiences  are  blended  those  of  half-a- 
dozen  other  personages.  The  forgotten  ones  !  the  men  whose 
names  were  once  a  terror,  but  who  are  as  little  remembered, 


PREFACE  vii 

as  little  known,  in  France  to-day,  as  the  satraps  of  the 
vanished  Eastern  realms,  as  the  eunuchs  who  ruled  the  civi- 
lised world  on  behalf  of  effete  Emperors  when  Byzantium, 
amidst  all  her  splendour,  was,  like  Paris,  tottering  to  ruin. 
Baroche,  Billault,  Delangle,  Fialin  alias  Persigny,  Espinasse — 
there  is  something  of  each  of  these,  as  well  as  something  o! 
Eouher,  in  the  career  of  Eugene  Rougon  as  narrated  by 
M.  Zola.  Words  which  one  or  another  of  these  men  wrote 
or  uttered,  things  which  one  or  another  of  them  actually  did, 
are  fathered  upon  Rougon.  He  embodies  them  all :  he  is  the 
incarnation  of  that  craving,  that  lust  for  power  which  im- 
pelled so  many  men  of  ability  to  throw  all  principle  to  the 
winds  and  become  the  instruments  of  an  abominable  system 
of  government.  And  his  transformation  at  the  close  of  the 
story  is  in  strict  accordance  with  historical  facts.  He  salutes 
the  rise  of  the  so-called  'Liberal '  Empire  in  the  very  words 
of  Billault— the  most  tyrannical  of  all  the  third  Napoleon's 
'  band.' 

Rougon  has  a  band  of  his  own — they  all  had  bands  in 
those  days,  like  the  Emperor  himself;  and  since  that  time  we 
have  in  a  similar  way  seen  Gambetta  and  his  queue,  and 
Boulanger  and  his  clique.  And,  curiously  enough,  as  in 
Rougon's  case,  those  historic  coteries  were  in  each  instance 
the  prime  factors  in  their  leader's  overthrow.  Thus  we  have 
only  to  turn  to  the  recorded  incidents  of  history  to  realise  the 
full  truth  of  M.  Zola's  account  of  the  Rougon  gang.  It  is  a 
masterly  account,  instinct  with  accuracy,  as  real  as  life  itself. 

And  Rougon,  on  whatever  patchwork  basis  he  may  have 
been  built,  is  a  living  figure,  one  of  a  nature  so  direct,  so  free 
from  intricacy,  that  few  ignorant  of  the  truth  would  imagine 
him  to  be  a  patchwork  creation  at  all.  Surely,  to  have  so 
fully  assimilated  in  one  personage  the  characteristics  of  half- 
a-dozen  known  men  in  such  wise  that,  without  any  clashing 
of  individual  proclivities,  the  whole  six  are  truthfully  em- 
bodied in  one,  is  a  signal  proof  of  that  form  of  genius  which 
lies  in  the  infinite  capacity  for  taking  pains. 

If  we  pass  from  Rougon  to  Marsy  we  find  another  em- 


vi'ii  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

bodiment  of  that  priuciple  of  authority  which  both  help  to 
represent.  Rougon,  as  M.  Zola  says,  is  the  shaggy  fist  which 
deals  the  knockdown  blow,  while  Marsy  is  the  gloved  hand 
which  stabs  or  throttles.  Years  ago,  when  I  was  unacquainted 
with  this  comparison,  and  was  contrasting  the  rising  genius 
of  Emile  Zola  with  that  of  his  great  and  splendid  rival, 
Alphonse  Daudet,  I  likened  M.  Zola  to  the  fist  and  M.  Daudet 
to  the  rapier.  A  French  critic  had  previously  called  the 
former  a  cactus  and  the  latter  an  Arab  steed.  The  cactus 
comparison,  as  applied  to  M.  Zola,  was  a  very  happy  one  ; 
for  I  defy  anybody,  even  the  smuggest  of  hypocrites,  to  read 
M.  Zola's  works  without  some  prickings  of  conscience.  And 
verily  I  believe  that  most  of  the  opposition  to  the  author  of 
the  Rougon-Macquart  series  arises  from  that  very  cause. 

But  I  must  return  to  Marsy,  though  he  need  not  detain 
me  long,  for  he  only  flits  across  the  following  pages  with  his 
regal  air  and  sardonic  smile.  For  a  fuller  and,  in  some 
degree,  a  more  favourable  portrait,  one  must  turn  to  the 
pages  of  Daudet,  who  of  course  could  not  write  ill  of  the  man 
to  whom  he  owed  his  start  in  life.  In  the  present  work, 
slight  as  is  the  sketch,  Marsy,  or  Morny,  the  name  signifies 
little,  is  shown  as  he  really  was — venal,  immoral,  witty,  and 
exquisitely  polite.  Then  there  is  Delestang,  who,  physically, 
represents  M.  Magne ;  while  in  like  way  Beulin  d'Orchere, 
the  judge  whose  sister  marries  Rougon,  is  copied  from 
Delangle,  whose  bulldog  face  is  alluded  to  by  most  of  the 
iniecdotiers  of  the  Empire.  La  Rouquette  is,  by  name  at 
all  events,  a  connection  of  Forcade  de  la  Roquette — a  step- 
brother of  Marshal  St.  Arnaud — who  rose  to  influence  and 
power  in  the  latter  days  of  the  Empire  ;  and  M.  de  Plouguern, 
the  profligate  old  senator,  reminds  me  in  some  respects  of 
that  cynical  and  eccentric  Anglomaniac,  the  Marquis  de 
Boissy.  The  various  members  of  Rougon's  band  are  sketched 
from  less-known  people.  Kahn  I  cannot  quite  identify,  but 
I  suspect  him  to  be  the  deputy  who  was  mixed  up  in  the 
scandal  of  the  Graissesac  railway  line,  to  which  M.  Zola 
refers  as  the  line  from  Niort  to  Angers.     However,  there  is 


PREFACE  ix 

no  member  of  the  band  tbat  I  like  better  than  Bejuin,  the 
silent  deputy,  who  never  asks  a  favour,  and  yet  has  favours 
continually  showered  upon  him.  I  have  known  a  man  of 
that  character  connected  with  English  public  life.  / 

To  return  to  those  of  M.  Zola's  masculine  characters  who 
may  be  identified  with  real  i^ersonages,  none  is  more  genially, 
more  truthfully,  portrayed  than  Chevalier  Eusconi,  the  Italian 
or,  more  correctly,  Sardinian,  Minister  in  Paris.  Here  we 
have  that  most  amiable  of  men.  Chevalier  Nigra,  of  whom 
Prosper  Merimee  once  said  in  my  presence  :  '  C'est  un 
boheme  tombe  dans  la  diplomatic.'  Withal,  Chevalier  Nigra— 
who,  though  very  aged,  still  serves  his  country,  I  believe, 
with  distinction  at  Vienna — was  a  very  good  diplomatist 
indeed;  one  of  Cavour's  right-hand  men,  one  of  those  to 
whom  Italy  owes  union  and  liberty.  And  what  a  career  was 
his  in  France,  and  what  memoirs  might  he  not  write  !  Few 
diplomatists  ever  had  stranger  experiences  :  from  all  the 
secret  plotting  which  so  largely  helped  to  make  Victor 
Emmanuel  King  of  Italy  to  the  surveillance  so  adroitly  prac- 
tised over  the  Empress  Eugenie,  whose  support  of  Pope 
Pius  IX.  was  ever  an  obstacle  to  Italian  aspirations.  For 
her  Nigra-Rusconi  became  the  handsome,  gallant  couitier; 
he  was  a  musician,  could  sing  and  dance,  was  proficient  in 
every  society  accomplishment,  and  before  long  the  Empress's 
Monday  receptions  at  the  Tuileries,  those  ])etits  Lundis  en- 
livened by  the  wit  of  Merimee,  were  never  complete  without 
him.  Yet,  all  the  time,  a  stern  duel  was  being  fought 
between  him  and  the  consort  of  Napoleon  III.  And  so  long 
as  her  husband  ruled  France  she  kept  her  adversary  at  bay. 
Rome,  capital  of  Italy,  was  but  the  fruit  of  Sedan.  Yet 
Nigra  was  chivalrous.  When  the  bitter  hour  of  reckoning 
arrived,  he  stood  by  the  woman  who  had  so  long  thwarted 
him.  He  and  Prince  Richard  Metternich  smuggled  her  out 
of  the  Tuileries  in  order  that  she  might  escape  to  England, 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  infuriated  Parisians. 

We  catch  a  few  glimpses  of  the  Empress  in  the  pages 
of  ffis  Excellencij.     We  find  her  at  Compiegne  surrounded 


X  niS  EXCELLENCY 

by  the  ladies  of  her  Court ;  we  also  see  her  ridmg  in  state 
to  Notre  Dame  to  attend  the  baptism  of  her  infant  son.  A 
great  day  it  was,  when  the  Empire  reached  its  zenith  :  a 
gorgeous  ceremony,  too,  attended  by  every  pomp.  On  refer- 
ring to  the  newspapers  of  the  time  I  have  found  M.  Zola's 
description  of  the  function  to  be  remarkably  accurate.  We 
espy  the  Man  of  December  raising  the  Prince  Imperial  in  his 
arms,  presenting  the  heir  of  the  Napoleons  to  the  assembled 
multitude — even  as  once  before,  and  in  the  same  cathedral, 
the  victor  of  Austerlitz  presented  the  infant  King  of  Rome  to 
the  homage  of  France.  But  neither  the  son  of  Marie-Louise 
nor  the  son  of  Eugenie  de  Montijo  was  destined  to  reign. 
And  what  a  mockery  now  seems  that  grand  baptismal  cere- 
mony, as  well  as  all  the  previous  discussion  in  the  Corps 
Legislatif,  of  which  M.  Zola  gives  such  an  animated  account. 
What  a  lesson,  too,  for  human  pride,  and,  in  the  sequel, 
what  a  punishment  for  human  perversity !  I  often  read,  I 
often  hear,  words  of  compassion  for  the  Prince  Imperial's 
widowed  mother,  but  they  cannot  move  me  to  pity,  for  I 
think  of  all  the  hundreds,  all  the  thousands,  of  mothers  who 
lost  their  sons  in  that  most  Avicked  and  abominable  of  wars 
in  the  declaration  of  which  the  Empress  Eugenie  played  so 
prominent  a  part.  Her  evil  influence  triumphed  in  that  hour 
of  indecision  which  came  upon  her  ailing  husband ;  and  her 
war — ma  guerre  a  moi — ensued,  with  fatal  consequences, 
which  even  yet  disturb  the  world.  And  so,  however  great, 
however  bitter,  her  punishment,  who  will  dare  to  say  that  it 
was  undeserved  ? 

But  whilst  I  consider  the  Empress  to  have  been,  in  more 
than  one  momentous  circumstance,  the  evil  genius  of  France, 
even  as  Marie  Antoinette  was  the  evil  genius  of  the  crumb- 
ling Legitimate  monarchy,  I  am  not  one  of  those  who  believe 
in  all  the  malicious  reports  of  her  to  be  found  in  la  clironiqne 
scandaleuse.  That  she  threw  herself  at  the  Emperor's  head 
and  compelled  him  to  marry  her,  may  be  true,  but  that  is  all 
that  can  be  alleged  against  her  with  ajiy  show  of  reason. 
She  undoubtedly  proved  a  faithful  wife  to  a  man  who  was 


PREFACE  XI 

notoriously  a  most  unfaithful  husband.  There  are  those  who 
may  yet  remember  how  one  November  morning  in  the  year 
1860  the  Empress  arrived  in  London,  scarcely  attended, 
drove  in  a  growler  to  Claridge's  Hotel,  and  thence  hurried 
off  to  Scotland.  Her  flight  from  the  Tuileries  had  caused 
consternation  there.  For  four  days  the  Moniteur  remained 
ominously  silent,  and  when  it  at  last  spoke  out  it  was  to 
announce  with  the  utmost  brevity  that  her  Majesty  was  in 
very  delicate  health,  and  had  betaken  herself  4o  Scotland — 
in  November! — for  a  change  of  air.  This  ridiculous  ex- 
planation deceived  nobody.  The  simple  truth  was  that  the 
Empress  had  obtained  proof  positive  of  another  of  her 
husband's  infidelities. 

It  is  needless  for  me  to  enlarge  upon  the  subject ;  I  have 
only  mentioned  it  in  corroboration  of  the  portrait  of 
Napoleon  III.  which  M.  Zola  traces  in  Hu  Excellency. 
The  Emperor  was  an  immoral  man — the  Beauharnais  if  not 
the  Bonaparte  blood  coursed  in  his  veins — and  the  names  of 
several  of  his  mistresses  are  perfectly  well  known.  For  the 
rest,  M.  Zola  pictures  him  very  accurately  :  moody,  reserved, 
with  vague  humanitarian  notions,  and  as  great  a  predilection 
for  secret  police  spying  as  was  evinced  by  Louis  XV.  The 
intrigue  between  him  and  M.  Zola's  heroine,  Cloriude,  is  no 
extravagant  notion.  Here  again  a  large  amount  of  actual 
fact  is  skilfully  blended  with  a  little  fiction.  Clorinde  Balbi 
at  once  suggests  the  beautiful  Countess  de  Castiglione ;  but 
in  the  account  of  her  earlier  career  one  finds  a  suggestion  of 
the  behaviour  which  innumerable  scandalmongers  impute — 
wrongly,  I  believe — to  the  Empress  Eugenie.  In  Clorinde's 
mother,  the  Contessa  Balbi,  there  is  more  than  a  suggestion 
of  Madame  de  Montijo,  who  was  undoubtedly  an  adventuress 
of  good  birth.  Both  the  Balbis  are  very  cleverly  drawn  ; 
they  typify  a  class  of  women  that  has  long  flourished  in 
France,  where  it  still  has  some  notorious  representatives. 
It  is  a  class  of  great  popularity  with  novelists  and  playwrights, 
possibly  because  contemporary  history  has  furnished  so  many 
examples  of  it,  from  the  aforementioned  Countess  de  Castig- 


Jcii  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

lione  who  laid  siege  to  Napoleon  III.  in  order  to  induce  him 
to  further  the  designs  of  Cavour  and  Victor  Emmanuel,  to 
the  Baroness  de  Kaulla,  who  ensnared  poor  General  de  Cissey 
that  she  might  extract  from  him  the  military  and  Foreign 
Office  secrets  of  France.  And  with  half-a-dozen  historical 
instances  in  my  mind,  I  find  no  exaggeration  in  the  character 
of  Clorinde  as  portrayed  in  His  Excellency. 

Having  thus  passed  M.  Zola's  personages  in  review,  I 
would  now  refer  to  the  actual  scenes  which  he  describes. 
The  account  of  the  sitting  of  the  Corps  Legislatif,  given  in 
the  opening  chapter,  is  as  accurate  as  the  official  report  in  the 
Moniteur  of  that  time.  The  report  on  the  estimates  for  the 
baptism  of  the  Prince  Imperial  is  taken  from  the  Moniteur 
verbatim.  In  Chapter  HI.,  when  the  Balbis  are  shown  at 
home,  the  description  of  the  house  in  the  Champs  Elysees  is 
assuredly  that  of  the  famous  niche  a  Ficlele.  The  baptism, 
described  in  Chapter  IV.,  is,  as  I  have  already  mentioned, 
very  faithfully  dealt  with.  I  have  by  me  an  account  of  the 
day's  proceedings  written  for  the  Illustrated  Times  by  my 
uncle,  the  late  Frank  Vizetelly,  who  was  killed  in  the  Soudan ; 
and  I  find  him  laying  stress  on  the  very  points  which  M.  Zola 
brings  into  pi-ominence,  often  indeed  using  almost  the  same 
words.  However,  this  is  but  one  of  the  curious  coincidences 
on  which  malicious  critics  found  ridiculous  charges  of 
plagiarism  ;  for  I  am  convinced  that  M.  Zola  never  saw  the 
Illustrated  Times  in  his  life,  and  moreover  he  knows  no 
English.  Passing  to  Chapter  V.,  which  narrates  the  horse- 
whipping administered  by  Clorinde  to  Rougon — an  incident 
which  it  has  been  necessary  to  '  tone  down  '  in  this  English 
version — I  may  remark  that  this  is  founded  on  contemporary 
scandal,  according  to  which  the  true  scene  of  the  afi'air  would 
be  the  Imperial  stables  at  Compiegne,  and  the  recipient  of 
the  whipping  none  other  than  Napoleon  III.  himself.  In 
Chapter  VI.,  the  scheme  for  reclaiming  the  waste  Landes  of 
Gascony  is  well-known  matter  of  history.  Suggested  to  the 
Emperor,  this  scheme  was  ultimately  taken  up  by  him  with 
considerable  vigour,  and  though  it  was  never  fully  carried  out 


PREFACE  xiii 

it  may  rank  as  one  of  the  few  really  beneficent  enterprises  of 
the  Imperial  riijivic. 

In  the  ensuing  chapter  we  come  to  Compiogne,  and  here 
I  have  found  nothing  to  call  in  question.     I  was  twice  at 
Compiegne  myself  under  the  Empire,  of  course  not  as  a  guest, 
but  in  connection  with  work  for  the  Illustrated  London  Neivs, 
which  brought  my  father  and  myself  into  constant  intercourse 
with  the  Imperial  Court  over  a  term  of  years.     And,  judging 
by  my  personal  recollections,  I  consider  M.  Zola's  picture  of 
life  at  Compiegne  to  be  a  very  true  one.     He  has  been  at- 
tacked, however,  for  having  based  his  descriptions  on  a  work 
called  Les  Confidences  d'un  Valet  de  Chambre.     Some  few 
years  ago  Mr.  Andrew  Lang,  in  criticising  the  French  original 
of  His  Excellency  in  an   English   review,  sternly  reproved 
M.  Zola  for  relying,  in   any  degree,  upon  such  back- stairs 
gossip.     But  a  little  knowledge  is  a  dangerous  thing.     What- 
ever its  title  may  be,  Les  Confidences  d'un  Valet  de  Chambre 
was  not  written  by  a  valet  de  chambre  at  all.     I  have  a  copy 
of  it  among  my  collection  of  books  relating  to  the  Empire. 
It  is  brimful  of  information,  bald  in  style,  but  severely  accu- 
rate.    As  for  its  authorship,  these  are  the  facts  :  The  Court's 
sojourn  at  Compiegne,  which  lasted  for  a  month  or  six  weeks 
every  autumn— having  been  suggested  in  part  by  the  Voyages 
a  Fontainebleaii  of  the  ancien  regime,  and  in  part  by  the 
Empress's  partiality  for  the  place  where  she  had  been  wooed 
and  won  by  Napoleon— ha,d  long  been  the  subject  of  tittle- 
tattle  among  the  Parisians.     The  newspapers  dared  not  pub- 
lish any  of  the  current  scandal  for  fear  of  being  immediately 
suppressed;    however,   the   impression   prevailed,    especially 
among  the  lower  classes,  that  the  Court  only  betook  itself  to 
Compiegne  to  indulge  in  a  month's  orgie  far  from  such  prying 
eyes  as  might  have  spied  upon   any  similar  excesses  at  the 
Tuileries.     So  many  reports  circulated,  that  it  was  at  last 
deemed  expedient  to  give  the  entree  to  the  chateau  to  a  Court 
chronicler,  who  should  report  what  actually  took  place  there, 
and  in  this  way  show  the  Parisians  how  foolish  were  the 
stories   circulated  through  the  cafes   and  wine-shops.     The 

a 


xiv  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

soi-disant  valet  de  clianibre  was  then,  purely  and  simply,  a 
journalist  recommended  by  Theophile  Gautier ;  and  his 
accounts  of  the  Court  at  Compiegne  were  published,  in  part 
at  all  events,  by  the  Paris  Figaro,  and  were  subsequently 
collected  in  volume  form.  There  is  no  scandal  of  any  kind 
in  the  book :  it  simply  chronicles  the  day's  doings,  with  de- 
scriptions of  the  various  rooms  of  the  chateau,  and  accounts 
of  certain  Court  customs  thrown  in  here  and  there.  Nobody 
desirous  of  describing  life  in  Imperial  circles  at  second-hand 
could  do  without  this  little  volume,  and  it  is  only  natural  that 
M,  Zola  should  have  consulted  it.  Its  general  accuracy  I  can, 
by  personal  knowledge,  fully  confirm.  Among  the  various 
incidents  which  M.  Zola  has  adapted  from  it  I  may  mention 
that  of  the  aged  dignitary  who  fondles  first  the  Prince  Im- 
perial and  afterwards  the  Emperor's  dog  Nero.  This  aged 
dignitary  is  a  little  bit  of  invention,  the  real  hero  of  the  inci- 
dent having  been  a  certain  M.  Leciel,  an  adjoint  to  the  Mayor 
of  Compiegne,  who  subsequently  got  into  hot  water  with  the 
Empress  owing  to  his  partiality  for  irreverent  witticisms 
which  usually  turned  upon  his  own  name.  In  English  we 
might  have  called  him  Mr.  Heaven.  His  residence  at  Com- 
piegne adjoined  the  somewhat  dirty  little  inn  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  which  it  was  at  one  time  proposed  to  demolish  in  order 
to  build  a  new  theatre,  which  was  to  have  been  connected 
with  the  chateau  by  means  of  a  suspension  bridge.  This 
gave  M.  Leciel  an  opportunity  for  a  most  deplorable  pun 
concerning  himself  and  the  inn,  which  he  calmly  repeated 
to  the  Empress,  who  was  considerably  incensed  thereat. 
And  in  the  result  M.  Leciel  received  no  further  invitations  to 
the  chateau. 

But  I  must  pass  from  Compiegne  to  M.  Zola's  next 
chapter,  in  which  he  deals,  indirectly,  with  the  famous  Orsini 
conspiracy.  Here  we  find  a  story  of  how  the  authorities  were 
warned  of  the  approaching  attempt  at  assassination — a  story 
which  I  have  heard  told  by  M.  Claude,  the  famous  ex-chief  of 
the  detective  police,  when  I  was  his  neighbour  at  Vincennes 
in   1881.     Something  similar,  I  believe,  figures  in  the  sq- 


PREFACE  XV 

called  Memoires  de  M.  Claude,  but  these,  based  on  Claude's 
papers,  which  were  '  worked  up  '  after  his  death  by  an  imagi- 
native penny-a-liner,  are  worthy  of  little  or  no  credence.  It 
is,  however,  certain  that  the  French  authorities  were  not  only 
warned  from  London  about  the  Orsini  plot,  but  obtained  addi- 
tional information  in  the  manner  described  by  M.  Zola,  and 
that  the  incident  became  the  stepping-stone  of  Claude's  sub- 
sequent fortune.  In  His  Excellency  the  Orsini  affair  is 
followed  by  Kougon's  return  to  power.  For  Eougon  one 
should  here  read  General  Espinasse,  to  whom  the  Emperor 
undoubtedly  addressed  the  words :  '  No  moderation ;  you 
must  make  yourself  feared.'  All  that  M.  Zola  says  of  the 
wholesale  arrests  of  French  Kepublicans  at  that  time  is  quite 
true.  Even  the  brief  interview  of  the  Prefect  of  the  Somme 
with  Eougon  is  based  on  historical  documents  ;  while  that  in 
which  figures  the  editor  whose  newspaper  publishes  a  story 
of  feminine  infidelity  is  derived  from  the  autobiography  of 
Henri  de  Villemessant. 

In  Chapter  X.,  which  deals  with  Eougon's  experiences  at 
Niort,  we  have  the  story  of  the  arrest  of  the  old  notary  Mar- 
tineau.  This,  again,  is  true,  hne  for  hne,  almost  word  for 
word ;  but  the  incident  really  occurred  at  Charost,  not  Cou- 
longes,  and  the  notary's  real  name  was  Lebrun.  He  was  a 
cousin  of  the  illustrious  parliamentarian,  Michel  of  Bourges. 
And  once  again,  fact  is  piled  upon  fact  in  Chapter  XL,  which 
describes  the  Ministerial  Council  at  St.  Cloud.  The  project 
for  the  creation  of  a  new  nobility  emanated  from  Persigny 
and  Magne ;  numeroiis  documents  concerning  it  were  dis- 
covered in  the  Emperor's  study  after  Sedan  ;  and  I  may  here 
remark  en  passant  that  M.  Zola  has  frequently  and  rightly 
availed  himself  of  those  Papier s  trouves  aux  Tuileries  as  pub- 
lished by  the  Government  of  National  Defence.  And  he  carries 
accuracy  to  such  a  point  that  in  Chapter  XIII. ,  when  he  is 
describing  Eougon's  resignation,  he  dates  the  Emperor's 
acceptance  of  it  from  Fontainebleau,  as  actually  happened  in 
the  case  of  Espinasse ;  and  gives  us  a  charity  fair  at  the 
orangery  of  the  Tuileries  as  the  scene  of  the  minister's  receipt 


xvi  HTS  EXCELLENCY 

of  that  acceptance — again  an  historical  incident.  And  finally, 
in  the  last  chapter,  which,  like  the  opening  one,  deals  with 
the  Corps  Legislatif,  we  read  the  very  words  of  Jules  Favre 
and  Billaiilt.  Moreover,  when  we  here  find  a  clerical  deputy 
exclaiming,  '  It  displeases  nie  that  proud  Venice,  the  Queen 
of  the  Adriatic,  should  become  the  obscure  vassal  of  Turin,' 
we  must  not  attribute  the  remark  to  M.  Zola's  imagination ; 
for  those  words  were  spoken  in  that  very  debate  by  Kolb. 
Bernard,  who,  with  Vicomte  Lemercier,  led  the  parliamentary 
group  which  opposed  the  Emperor's  liberal  policy  in  Italy. 

Some  readers  and  some  reviewers  may  think  that  I  have 
acted  somewhat  unkindly  to  M.  Zola  in  thus  partially  dissecting 
Son  Excellence,  Eugene  Bougo7i,  in  showing  how  little  it  is  a 
work  of  imagination  and  how  much  a  work  based  upon  fact. 
I  could  have  given  many  more  instances  than  those  I  have 
quoted,  but  this  preface  has  already  stretched  to  such  length 
that  I  must  stay  my  hand.  I  would  mention,  however,  that  I 
could  in  a  similar  way  dissect  most  volumes  of  the  Eougon- 
Macquart  series,  for  these  books  are  novels  in  their  arrange- 
ment only.  Even  when  they  do  not  deal  with  historical 
personages  and  publicly  recorded  facts,  they  are  based  on 
incidents  which  really  happened,  and  more  frequently  than 
otherwise  portray  people  who  really  lived.  The  whole  series 
constitutes  a  truthful,  life-like  synthesis  of  a  period ;  and  if 
certain  readers  recoil  from  some  of  the  portraits  contained  in 
it,  this  is  simply  because  they  will  not  face  the  monstrosities  of 
human  life.  And  far  from  doing  my  good  and  dear  friend, 
the  author  of  this  imperishable  literary  edifice,  an  unkindness 
by  pointing  out  where  and  how  he  has  borrowed  and  adapted, 
I  conceive  that  I  am  rendering  him  a  service,  for  how  often 
has  not  his  accuracy  been  impugned !  Moreover,  it  is  not 
upon  power  of  imagination  that  he  particularly  prides  himself 
— though  imagination,  and  of  a  high  order,  is  undoubtedly  a 
feature  of  his  genius — he  claims  rank  chiefly  by  reason  of  his 
power  of  delineation,  his  power  of  analysing,  blending  and 
grouping  facts  and  characteristics.  In  one  word,  he  is  a 
Realist.     And  if  he  is  to  describe  people  as  they  have  lived, 


PREFACE  xvii 

incidents  as  they  have  really  occurred,  how  can  he  do  other- 
wise than  turn  to  the  records  of  actual  experience,  to  the 
unchallenged  descriptions  of  historical  episodes  ?  Plagiarism 
forsooth !  When  every  situation,  every  dilemma,  every 
experience,  every  characteristic  and  every  emotion  that  can 
enter  into  the  history  of  the  human  race  have  been  dealt  with 
time  without  number  by  thousands  of  writers  of  fiction,  either 
in  the  form  of  the  novel  or  the  drama !  How,  then,  is  it 
possible  for  anybody,  however  great  his  genius,  to  be 
absolutely  and  perfectly  original  ?  Such  originality  is  dead. 
Let  us  bow  to  its  grave ;  we  shall  never  see  it  more.  The 
only  genius  in  literature  which  can  remain  to  the  writers 
of  to-day  and  to-morrow  is  that  genius  which  may  lie  in  the 
handling  of  one's  materials.  The  human  range  of  ideas  is 
limited  ;  even  madmen — so  closely  allied  to  men  of  genius  — 
cannot  carry  their  fancy  beyond  certain  bounds  ;  and  thus 
the  old  saws  must  crop  up  again  and  again,  distinguished  one 
from  another  simply  by  mode  of  treatment.  And  as  for  such 
charges  of  plagiarism  that  may  have  been  brought  against 
M.  Zola,  I  apply  to  him  the  words  which  Moliere  applied 
to  himself :  11  prcnd  son  Men  oil  il  le  trouve.  And  I  will  add 
that  he  does  well  in  following  this  course,  for  over  all  he 
casts  the  magnificent  mantle  of  powers  which  none  of  his 
contemporaries  can  equal. 

E.  A.  V. 
Merton,  Surrey,  A;pril  1897. 


HIS    EXCELLENCY 


THE    CORPS   LEGISLATIF 

For  a  moment  the  President  remained  standing  amidst  tbe 
slight  commotion  which  his  entrance  had  caused.  Then  he 
took  his  seat,  saying  carelessly  and  in  an  undertone :  '  The 
sitting  has  commenced.' 

He  next  began  to  arrange  the  legislative  bills  lying  upon 
the  desk  in  front  of  him.  On  his  left,  a  short-sighted  clerk, 
with  his  nose  close  to  the  paper  he  held,  read  the  minutes  of 
the  previous  sitting  in  a  rapid  and  confused  manner,  none  of 
the  deputies  paying  attention  to  him.  In  the  buzzing  noise 
that  filled  the  Chamber,  these  minutes  were  only  heard  by  the 
ushers,  who  maintained  a  very  dignified  and  decorous  bearing 
which  contrasted  with  the  lounging  attitudes  of  the  deputies. 

There  were  not  a  hundred  members  present.  Some  were 
reclining  in  their  red  velvet-covered  seats,  with  listless  eyes, 
already  half-asleep.  Others,  leaning  over  their  desks,  as 
though  wearied  by  the  compulsory  labour  of  a  public  sitting, 
were  beatmg  a  gentle  tattoo  on  the  mahogany  with  their 
finger-tips.  Through  the  ceiling-window,  which  revealed  a 
crescent  of  grey  sky,  the  light  of  a  rainy  May  afternoon 
streamed  down  perpendicularly  upon  the  pompous  severity  of 
the  Chamber.  It  spread  over  the  desks  in  a  sheet  of  gloomy 
ruddiness,  brightening  into  a  rosy  glow  here  and  there  where 
some  seat  remained  unoccupied ;  while,  behind  the  President, 
the  statues  and  sculpture-work  showed  in  clear  white  patches. 

One  of  the  deputies  on  the  third  row  to  the  right  still 
remained  standing  in  the  narrow  passage  between  the  seats. 
He  was  rubbing  his  rough  fringe  of    grizzly  beard  with  a 

B 


2  ?ns  EXCELLENCY 

thoughtful  air,  but  as  an  usher  came  by,  he  stopped  him  and 
asked  a  question  in  an  undertone. 

'  No,  Monsieur  Kahn,'  rephed  the  usher,  '  the  President  of 
the  Council  of  State  has  not  yet  arrived.' 

M.  Kahn  thereupon  sat  down,  and,  abruptly  turning  to  his 
neighbour  on  the  left,  inquired, '  Tell  me,  Bejuin,  have  you  seen 
Eougon  this  morning  ?  ' 

M.  Bejuin,  a  small,  thin  man  of  dark  complexion  and 
silent  demeanour,  raised  his  head  nervously  as  though  his 
thoughts  were  altogether  elsewhere.  He  had  drawn  out 
the  slide  of  his  desk,  and  was  writing  a  letter  on  some 
blue  paper  with  a  business  heading  formed  of  these  words : 
'  Bejuin  and  Co.     The  Saint-Florent  Cut-Glass  Works.' 

'  Eougon  ?  '  he  repeated.  '  No,  I  haven't  seen  him.  I  did 
not  have  time  to  go  over  to  the  State  Council.' 

Then  he  quietly  reverted  to  his  work,  consulting  a 
memorandum-book,  and  beginning  a  second  letter,  amidst  the 
confused  buzzing  murmur  of  the  clerk,  who  was  finishing  his 
reading  of  the  minutes. 

M.  Kahn  leant  back  in  his  seat  and  crossed  his  arms.  He 
had  a  face  with  strongly  marked  features,  and  his  big  but  well- 
shaped  nose  testified  to  a  .Jewish  descent.  He  seemed  out  of 
sorts.  He  gazed  upwards  at  the  gilt  rose- work  on  the  ceiling 
and  listened  to  the  plashing  of  a  shower  which  at  that 
moment  burst  down  upon  the  skylight ;  and  then  with 
vaguely  wondering  eyes  he  seemed  to  be  examining  the 
intricate  ornamentation  of  the  great  wall  in  front  of  him. 
His  glance  lingered  for  a  few  seconds  upon  two  panels  hung 
with  green  velvet  and  decked  with  gilt  borders  aiid  emblems. 
Then,  after  he  had  scanned  the  columns  between  which 
allegorical  statues  of  Liberty  and  Public  Order  showed  their 
marble  faces  and  pupil-less  eyes,  his  attention  was  turned  to 
a  curtain  of  green  silk  which  concealed  a  fresco  representing 
King  Louis  Philippe  taking  the  oath  to  the  Constitution. 

By  this  time  the  clerk  had  sat  down ;  nevertheless,  the  scene 
remained  one  of  noisy  confusion.  The  President  was  still 
leisurely  arranging  his  papers.  He  again  and  again  pressed 
his  hand  on  his  bell,  but  its  loud  ringing  failed  to  check  any 
of  the  private  conversations  that  were  going  on.  However, 
he  at  last  stood  up  amidst  all  the  hubbub  and  for  a  moment 
remained  waiting  and  silent. 

'  Gentlemen,'  be  began, '  I  have  received  a  letter '  Then 

he  stopped  short  to  ring  his  bell  again,  and  once  more  kept 


THE   CORPS  LEGISLATIF  3 

silent,  his  grave,  bored  face  looking  down  from  the  monu- 
mental desk  which  spread  out  beneath  him  with  panels  of  red 
marble  bordered  with  white.  His  frock-coat,  which  was 
buttoned  up,  showed  conspicuously  against  the  bas-relief 
behind  him,  rising  like  a  black  bar  between  the  peplum-robed 
figures  of  Agriculture  and  Industry  with  antique  profiles. 

'  Gentlemen,'  he  resumed,  when  he  had  succeeded  in 
obtaining  something  like  silence,  '  I  have  received  a  letter 
from  Monsieur  de  Lamberthon,  in  which  he  apologises  for  not 
being  able  to  attend  to-day's  sitting.' 

At  this  a  laugh  resounded  on  the  sixth  row  of  seats  in 
front  of  the  desk.  It  came  from  a  deputy  who  could  not 
have  been  more  than  twenty-eight  years  old.  He  was  fair 
and  effeminately  pretty,  and  was  trying  with  his  white  hands 
to  stifle  an  outburst  of  girlish  ripplmg  laughter.  One  of  his 
colleagues,  a  man  of  huge  build,  came  up  to  him  and 
whispered  in  his  ear  :  '  Is  it  really  true  that  Lamberthon  has 
found  his  wife  ?     Tell  me  all  about  it.  La  Eouquette.' 

The  President,  however,  had  taken  up  a  handful  of  papers. 
He  was  speaking  in  monotonous  tones,  and  stray  fragments 
of  sentences  reached  the  far  end  of  the  Chamber.  '  There 
are  applications  for  leave  of  absence  from  Monsieur  Blachet, 
Monsieur  Buquin-Lecomte,  Monsieur  de  la  Villardiere ' 

While  the  Chamber  was  granting  these  different  requests, 
M.  Kahn,  who  had  probably  grown  weary  of  examining  the 
green  silk  curtain  stretched  before  the  seditious  portrait  of  Louis 
Philippe,  turned  to  glance  at  the  galleries.  Above  the  wall 
of  yellow  marble  veined  with  lake  red,  there  was  a  gallery 
with  hand-rests  of  amaranthine  velvet  spanning  the  spaces 
from  one  column  to  another ;  and  higher  up  a  mantle  of 
embossed  leather  failed  to  conceal  the  gaps  left  by  the 
suppression  of  a  second  tier  of  seats  which  had  been  assigned 
to  journalists  and  the  general  public  previous  to  the  Empire. 
The  narrow,  gloomy  boxes  between  the  massive  yellowish 
marble  pillars,  which  stood  in  somewhat  heavy  splendour 
round  the  semicircle,  were  for  the  most  part  empty,  although 
here  and  there  they  were  brightened  by  the  light-tinted 
toilettes  of  some  ladies. 

'  Ah  1  so  Colonel  Jobelin  has  come  ! '  murmured  M.  Kahn. 

And  forthwith  he  smiled  at  the  colonel,  who  had  perceived 
him.  Colonel  Jobelin  was  wearing  the  dark-blue  frock-coat 
which  he  had  adopted  as  a  kind  of  civilian  uniform  ever  since 
his  retirement  from  the  service.     He  sat  quite  alone  in  the 

B  2 


4  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

questors'  gallery,  and  his  rosette  as  an  officer  of  the  Legion 
of  Honour  was  so  large  as  to  look  almost  like  the  bow  of  a 
cravat. 

But  M.  Kahn's  eyes  had  already  strayed  to  a  young  man 
and  woman  who  were  nestling  in  a  corner  of  the  gallery  of 
the  Council  of  State.  The  young  man  was  continually  bend- 
ing his  head  and  whispering  to  the  young  woman,  who  smiled 
with  a  gentle  air,  but  did  not  turn  to  look  at  him,  her  eyes 
being  fixed  upon  the  allegorical  figure  of  Public  Order. 

'I  say,  Bejuin,'  M.  Kahn  remarked,  nudging  his  colleague 
with  his  knee. 

M.  Bejuin,  who  was  now  busy  with  his  fifth  letter,  again 
raised  his  head  with  an  expression  of  absent-mindedness. 

'  Look  up  there,'  continued  M.  Kahn  ;  '  don't  you  see  little 
Escorailles  and  pretty  Madame  Bouchard  ?  I'll  be  bound  he's 
making  love  to  her.  What  eyes  she's  got !  All  Eougon's 
friends  seem  to  have  made  a  point  of  coming  to-day.  There's 
Madame  Correur  and  the  Charbonnels  up  there  in  the  pubhc 
gallery,' 

However,  the  bell  sounded  again  for  some  moments,  and 
an  usher  called  out  in  a  fine  bass  voice :  '  Silence,  gentlemen  ! ' 

Then  the  deputies  began  to  listen,  and  the  President  spoke 
the  following  words,  not  a  syllable  of  which  was  lost :  *  Monsieur 
Kahn  asks  permission  to  publish  the  speech  which  he  delivered 
on  the  bill  for  the  establishment  of  a  municipal  tax  upon 
vehicles  and  horses  in  Paris.' 

A  murmur  ran  along  the  benches,  and  then  the  different 
conversations  were  resumed.  Quitting  his  own  place,  M.  La 
Eouquette  came  and  sat  down  near  M.  Kahn.  '  So  you  work 
for  the  people,  eh  ?  '  he  said  playfully,  and,  without  waiting 
for  a  reply,  he  added :  '  You  haven't  seen  or  heard  anything 
of  Rougon,  have  you?  Everyone  is  talking  about  the  matter, 
but  it  seems  that  nothing  is  definitely  settled  yet.'  Then  he 
turned  round  and  glanced  at  the  clock.  '  Twenty  minutes 
past  two  already  !  '  he  exclaimed.  '  Well,  I  should  certainly 
be  off  now,  if  it  were  not  for  the  reading  of  that  confounded 
report.     Is  it  really  to  come  off  to-day  ?  ' 

'  W^e  have  all  been  notified  to  that  effect,'  M.  Kahn  replied, 
'  and  I  have  heard  nothing  of  any  change  of  plans.  You  had 
better  remain.  The  400,000  francs  ^  for  the  baptism  will  be 
voted  straight  off.' 

'No  doubt,'  said  La  Eouquette.     'Old  General  Legrain, 

»  16,O0OL 


THE   CORPS  LEG  IS  LA  TIF  5 

who  has  lost  the  use  of  both  legs,  has  had  himself  carried 
here  by  his  servant,  and  is  now  in  the  Conference  Hall  wait- 
ing till  the  vote  comes  on.  The  Emperor  is  quite  right  in 
reckoning  upon  the  devotion  of  the  whole  Corps  Legislatif. 
All  our  votes  ought  to  be  given  him  upon  this  solemn  occasion.' 

While  speaking  the  young  deputy  did  his  utmost  to  assume 
the  expression  of  a  serious  politician.  His  doll-like  face, 
which  was  ornamented  by  a  few  pale  hairs,  wagged  gravely 
over  his  collar,  and  he  seemed  to  be  relishing  the  flavour  of 
the  two  last  sentences  he  had  uttered — sentences  which  he  had 
remembered  from  somebody  else's  speech.  Then  he  suddenly 
broke  into  a  laugh.  '  Good  gracious !  '  he  exclaimed,  '  what 
frights  those  Chavbonnels  are  !  ' 

M.  Kahn  and  himself  thereupon  began  to  make  merry  at 
the  Charbonnels'  expense.  The  wife  was  wearing  an  out- 
rageous yellow  shawl,  and  her  husband  sported  a  country-cut 
frock-coat  which  looked  as  though  it  had  been  hewn  into 
shape  with  an  axe.  They  were  both  very  short,  stout  and  red, 
and  were  eagerly  pressing  forward,  with  their  chins  almost 
resting  upon  the  balustrade  of  the  gallery  in  order  to  get  a 
better  view  of  the  proceedings,  which,  judging  by  their  blank, 
staring  eyes,  were  utterly  unintelligible  to  them. 

'  If  Kougon  gets  the  sack,'  said  La  Rouquette,  '  I  wouldn't 
give  a  couple  of  sous  for  the  Charbonnels'  case.  It  will  be 
just  the  same  with  Madame  Correur.'  Then  he  inclined  his 
head  towards  M.  Kahn's  ear,  and  continued  in  a  very  low 
tone  :  '  You,  now,  who  know  Eougon,  just  tell  me  who  and 
what  that  Madame  Correur  is.  She  formerly  kept  a  lodging- 
house,  didn't  she  ?  Eougon  used  to  lodge  with  her,  and  it 
is  even  said  that  she  lent  him  money.  What  does  she  do 
now  ?  ' 

M.  Kahn  assumed  a  very  grave  expression  and  slowly 
rubbed  his  beard.  '  Madame  Correur  is  a  highly  respectable 
lady,'  he  replied  curtly. 

This  answer  checked  La  Rouquette's  curiosity.  He  bit  his 
lips  with  the  expression  of  a  schoolboy  who  has  just  been 
lectured.  For  a  moment  they  both  looked  in  silence  at 
Madame  Correur,  who  was  sitting  near  the  Charbonnels.  She 
was  wearing  a  very  showy  dress  of  mauve  silk,  with  a  profusion 
of  lace  and  ornaments.  Her  face  showed  too  much  colour,  her 
forehead  was  covered  with  little  fair  dollish  curls,  and  her 
plump  neck,  still  very  comely  in  spite  of  her  eight-and-forty 
years,  was  fully  exposed  to  view. 


6  mS  EXCELLENCY 

Just  at  this  moment,  however,  the  sudden  sound  of  a  door 
opening  and  a  rustle  of  skirts  at  the  far  end  of  the  Chamber 
caused  all  heads  to  turn,  A  tall  girl  exquisitely  beautiful,  but 
strangely  dressed  in  an  ill-made  sea-green  satin  gown,  had 
entered  the  box  assigned  to  the  diplomatic  body,  followed  by 
an  elderly  lady  in  black. 

'  Ah !  there's  the  fair  Clorinde !  '  said  M.  La  Rouquette, 
who  had  risen  to  bow  at  random. 

M.  Kahn  had  also  risen  ;  but  he  stooped  towards  M.  Bejuin, 
who  was  now  enclosing  his  letters  in  envelopes :  '  Countess 
Balbi  and  her  daughter  are  there,'  he  said.  '  I  am  going  up 
to  ask  them  if  they  have  seen  Rougon.' 

The  President  meanwhile  had  taken  a  fresh  handful  of 
papers  from  his  desk.  Without  ceasing  his  perusal  of  them 
he  cast  a  glance  at  the  beautiful  Clorinde  Balbi,  whose  arrival 
had  given  rise  to  a  buzz  of  comments  in  the  Chamber. 
Then,  while  he  passed  the  papers  one  by  one  to  a  clerk,  he 
said  in  monotonous  tones,  never  even  pausing  to  punctuate 
his  words  :  '  Presentation  of  a  bill  to  continue  certain  extra 
duties  in  the  town  of  Lille  ...  of  a  bill  to  unite  into  one  single 
commune  the  communes  of  Doulevant-le-Petit  and  Ville-en- 
Blaisais  (Haute-Marne) ' 

When  M.  Kahn  came  back  again  he  seemed  quite  discon- 
solate. '  Really,  no  one  appears  to  have  seen  anything  of  him,' 
he  said  to  his  colleagues,  Bejuin  and  La  Rouquette,  whom  he 
met  at  the  foot  of  the  semicircle.  '  I  hear  that  the  Emperor 
sent  for  him  yesterday  evening,  but  I  haven't  been  able  to 
learn  the  result  of  their  interview.  There  is  nothing  so 
provoking  as  being  unable  to  get  a  satisfactory  account  of 
what  happens.' 

La  Rouquette  turned  round  and  whispered  into  M. 
Bejuin's  ear:  'Poor  Kahn  is  terribly  afraid  lest  Rougon 
should  get  into  disfavour  at  the  Tuileries.  He  might  fish  for 
his  railway  if  that  should  occur.' 

In  reply  M.  Bejuin,  who  was  of  a  taciturn  disposition,  said 
very  gravely :  '  The  day  when  Rougon  retires  from  the  Council 
of  State,  we  shall  all  be  losers.'  Then  he  beckoned  to  one  of 
the  ushers  and  gave  him  the  letters  which  he  had  just  written, 
to  post. 

The  three  deputies  remained  standing  on  the  left  of  the 
President's  desk,  discreetly  discussing  the  disfavour  with  which 
Rougon  was  threatened.  It  was  an  intricate  story.  A  dis- 
tant relation  of  the  Empress,  one  Senor  Rodriguez,  had  been 


THE    CORPS  LEGTSLATIF  7 

claiming  a  sum  of  two  million  francs  from  the  French  Govern- 
ment since  the  year  1808.  During  the  war  with  Spain,  a 
vessel  freighted  with  sugar  and  coffee,  and  belonging  to  this 
Rodriguez,  who  was  a  shipowner,  had  been  taken  in  the  Bay 
of  Biscay  by  a  French  frigate,  the  Vigilante,  and  brought  to 
Brest.  Acting  upon  information  received  from  a  local  com- 
mission, the  administrative  officials  had  declared  the  capture 
to  be  a  valid  one,  without  referring  the  matter  to  the  Prize 
Committee.  Rodriguez,  however,  had  promptly  appealed  to 
the  Council  of  State,  and,  after  his  death,  his  son,  under  every 
successive  Government,  had  vainly  tried  to  bring  the  matter 
to  an  issue  until  the  day  came  when  a  word  from  his  distant 
cousin,  Eugenie  de  Montijo,  now  all-powerful,  had  secured 
the  insertion  of  his  action  in  the  official  cause  list. 

Of  this  the  three  deputies  talked,  while  the  President's 
monotonous  voice  still  resounded  above  their  heads  :  '  Presen- 
tation of  a  bill  authorising  the  department  of  Calvados  to  borrow 
300,000  francs  ...  of  a  bill  authorising  the  town  of  Amiens 
to  borrow  200,000  francs  for  the  purpose  of  making  new 
promenades  ...  of  a  bill  authorising  the  department  of  Cotes- 
du-Nord  to  borrow  345,000  francs  to  cover  the  deficiencies  in 
the  revenues  of  the  last  five  years.' 

'  The  truth  is,'  said  M.  Kahn,  again  lowering  his  voice. 
'  that  this  Rodriguez  had  a  very  artful  method  of  managing 
his  business.  He  and  a  son-in-law  of  his,  residing  at  New  York, 
were  the  owners  of  vessels  which  sailed  either  under  the 
American  flag  or  the  Spanish,  according  as  one  or  the  other 
might  subject  them  to  the  least  risk  during  their  passage. 
Rougon  told  me  that  the  captured  vessel  was  exclusively  the 
property  of  Rodriguez,  and  that  there  is  no  valid  ground 
whatever  for  the  claims  that  are  made.' 

'  And  then,'  interposed  M.  Bejuin,  '  the  steps  that  were 
taken  by  the  officials  cannot  be  impugned.  The  administrative 
officer  at  Brest  was  perfectly  right  in  declaring  the  capture  a 
valid  one  in  accordance  with  the  customs  of  the  port,  without 
referring  the  matter  to  the  Prize  Committee.' 

Then  they  lapsed  into  silence  for  a  moment  while 
La  Rouquette,  with  his  back  resting  against  the  marble  wall, 
raised  his  head,  and  tried  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  fair 
Clorinde.  *  But,'  he  asked  naively,  '  why  does  Rougon  object 
to  the  two  millions  being  paid  to  Rodriguez  ?  What  difference 
would  it  make  to  him  ?  ' 

'  It  is  a  matter  of  conscience,'  said  M.  Kahn  solemnly. 


8  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

M.  La  Rouquette  glanced  at  his  colleagues  one  after  the 
other,  but,  seeing  them  both  so  grave,  he  did  not  even  venture 
to  smile. 

'  Then,  too,'  continued  M.  Kahn,  as  though  he  were 
dwelling  upon  some  thought  which  he  had  not  expressed 
aloud,  '  Rougon  has  had  a  good  deal  of  bother  since  Marsy 
has  been  Minister  of  the  Interior.  They  have  never  been  able 
to  get  on  together.  Rougon  himself  told  me  that,  if  it  had 
not  been  for  his  attachment  to  the  Emperor,  for  whom  he  has 
already  done  so  much,  he  would  long  ago  have  retired  into 
private  life.  He  no  longer  seems  welcome  at  the  Tuilories, 
and  he  feels  that  a  change  has  become  necessary  for  him.' 

'  He  is  acting  like  an  honourable  man,'  remarked  M. 
Bejuin. 

'  Yes,  indeed,'  said  M.  La  Rouquette,  with  a  wise  look,  '  if 
he  wants  to  retire,  the  opportunity  is  a  good  one.  All  the 
same,  his  friends  will  be  greatly  grieved.  Just  look  at  the 
colonel  up  there,  with  his  anxious  face  !  He  has  been  hoping 
to  fasten  the  ribbon  of  Commander  of  the  Legion  of  Honour 
round  his  neck  on  the  15th  of  next  August.  And  pretty 
Madame  Bouchard,  too,  swore  that  worthy  Monsieur  Bou- 
chard should  be  head  of  department  at  the  Ministry  of  the 
Interior  before  six  months  were  over.  Little  Escorailles, 
Rougon's  pet,  was  to  put  the  nomination  under  Monsieur 
Bouchard's  napkin  on  Madame's  birthday.  But  where  have 
they  got  to,  pretty  ]\Iadame  Bouchard  and  little  Escorailles  ? ' 

The  three  deputies  looked  about  for  them,  and  at  last 
discovered  them  ensconced  at  the  back  of  the  gallery,  in  the 
front  part  of  which  they  had  been  seated  at  the  opening  of 
the  sitting.  They  had  taken  refuge  in  the  gloom  there  behind 
a  bald  old  gentleman,  and  were  both  very  quiet,  though  very 
red. 

However,  the  President  was  now  coming  to  the  end  of  his 
reading. 

'  A  bill,'  said  he,  '  to  sanction  an  increase  in  the  rate  of 
interest  upon  a  loan  authorised  by  an  Act  of  the  9th  of  June, 
1858,  and  to  impose  an  extraordinary  rate  in  the  department 
of  La  Manche.' 

Just  then  M.  Kahn  ran  forward  to  meet  a  deputy  who  was 
entering  the  Chamber,  and  as  he  brought  him  along  he 
exclaimed,  '  Here  is  Monsieur  de  Combelot.  He  will  give  us 
some  news.' 

M.   de   Combelot,    an   imperial    chamberlain  whom    the 


THE   CORPS  LEGISLATIF  9 

department  of  the  Landes  had  chosen  as  deputy  upon  the 
formally  expressed  desire  of  the  Emperor,  bowed  with  a 
discreet  air  while  waiting  to  be  questioned.  He  was  a  tall, 
handsome  man,  with  a  very  white  skin,  and  an  inky  black 
beard  which  had  been  the  means  of  winning  him  great  favour 
among  the  ladies. 

'  Well,'  asked  M.  Kahn,  '  what  do  they  say  at  the  Tuileries  ? 
What  has  the  Emperor  decided  upon  ?  ' 

'  Well,  indeed,'  replied  W.  de  Combelot  in  a  guttural  tone, 
'  they  say  a  good  many  things.  The  Emperor  has  the 
warmest  friendship  for  the  President  of  the  Council  of  State. 
Their  interview  was  undoubtedly  of  the  most  cordial  nature. 
Yes,  indeed,  most  cordial.' 

Then  he  stopped,  after  carefully  weighing  his  words, 
as  it  were,  so  as  to  satisfy  himself  that  he  had  not  said 
too  much. 

'  Then  the  resignation  is  withdrawn  ? '  asked  M.  Kahn, 
with  glistening  eyes. 

'  I  did  not  say  that,'  replied  the  chamberlain,  uneasily. 
'  I  know  nothing  about  it.  You  understand  that  my  position 
is  a  peculiar  one ' 

He  did  not  finish  what  he  was  going  to  say,  but  contented 
himself  with  smiling,  and  then  hurried  off  to  take  his  seat. 
M.  Kahn  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  remarked  to  M.  La 
Rouquette,  '  But  you,  surely,  ought  to  be  posted  on  what  is 
going  on.  Doesn't  your  sister,  Madame  de  Llorenz,  give  you 
any  information  ? ' 

'  Oh,  my  sister  is  even  more  reserved  than  Monsieur  de 
Combelot,'  replied  the  young  deputy,  with  a  laugh.  '  Since 
she  has  become  one  of  the  ladies-in-waiting,  she  has  put  on 
quite  a  minister's  gravity ;  though  yesterday,  indeed,  she 
assured  me  that  the  resignation  would  be  accepted.  By  the 
way,  I  can  tell  you  a  funny  story  in  connection  with  this 
matter.  It  appears  that  some  lady  was  sent  to  Rougon  to 
try  to  influence  him.  Now,  you  would  never  guess  what 
Rougon  did  !  He  turned  her  out  of  doors,  although  she  was  a 
delicious  creature !  ' 

'  Rougon  is  a  very  steady  fellow,'  M.  Bejuin  declared 
solemnly. 

M.  La  Rouquette  shook  with  laughter,  and,  protesting 
against  M.  Bejuin's  estimate  of  Rougon,  asserted  that  he 
could  have  disproved  it  by  evidence  had  he  chosen.  *  And  so, 
Madame  Correur,  for  instance,'  said  he. 


to  BIS  EXCELLENCY 

'  Pooh  !  you  don't  know  the  truth  of  that  story,'  replied 
M.  Kahn. 

'  And  the  fair  Clorinde  ?  ' 

'  Nonsense,  nonsense  !     Rougon  is  much  too  clever  a  fellow 
to  forget  himself  with  such  a  wild  creature  as  that !  ' 

Then  the  three  men  drew  closer,  and  talked  on  without  any 
mincing  of   word's.     Tliey  repeated  the  stories  which  were 
told  about  those  two  Italian  women— mother  and  daughter— 
who  were  semi- adventuresses  and  semi-great  ladies,  and  were 
to  be  met  everywhere,  at  all  parties  and  gatherings,  at  the 
houses    of    state   ministers,   in    the    stage-boxes    of    minor 
theatres,  on  the  sands  at  fashionable  watering-places,  and 
even  in  out-of-the-way  hostelries.     The  mother,  it  was  said, 
had  been  the  mistress  of  a  royal  personage  ;  and  the  daughter, 
with  an  ignorance  of  French  customs  and  etiquette  which 
had  earned  her  the  reputation  of  being  an  eccentric,_  badly 
brought-up   wench,   galloped   about   on   horseback    till   she 
foundered  her  mounts,  made  a  display  of  her  dirty  stockings 
and  damaged  boots  on  rainy  days,  and  looked  around  her  for 
a  husband  with  the  boldest  of  smiles.     M.  La  Rouquette  told 
how  she  had  come  one  night  to  a  ball  at   the  Sardinian 
Minister's,  in  the  character  of  the  huntress  Diana,  with  so 
scanty  a  costume  that  she  had  been  all  but  asked  in  marriage 
the  next  morning  by  old  Monsieur  de  Nougarede,  a  profligate 
senator.     During    the    narration   of    this    story,   the    three 
deputies  cast  frequent  glances  at  the  fair  Clorinde,  who,  in 
spite  of  the  regulations,  was  examining  the  members  of  the 
Chamber  one  after  another  through  a  large  pair  of  opera- 
glasses. 

'  No,  no  ! '  M.  Kahn  repeated,  '  Rougon  would  never  be 
such  a  fool !  He  says,  though,  that  she  is  very  intelligent, 
and  he  has  nicknamed  her  "  Mademoiselle  MachiaveUi."  She 
amuses  him,  but  that's  all.' 

'  At  the  same  time  Rougon  is  wrong  in  not  marrying,'  said 
M.  Bejuin.     '  It  settles  a  man.' 

Then  they  all  three  set  to  work  to  discuss  the  sort  of 
woman  that  it  was  desirable  Rougon  should  marry.  She 
ought  to  be  a  woman  of  some  age,  thirty-five  at  the  least,  they 
said,  rich,  and  competent  to  maintain  her  house  on  a  footing 
of  high  decorum. 

Hubbub  still  prevailed  in  the  Chamber,  and  the  three 
deputies  became  so  absorbed  in  the  stories  they  were  telling, 
that  they  ceased  to  notice  what   was   taking  place  around 


THE   CORPS  LEG  IS  LA  TIF  ii 

them.  Away  in  the  distance,  the  voices  of  ushers  could  be 
faintly  heard  calling  out, '  To  the  sitting,  gentlemen,  to  the 
sitting.' 

Fresh  deputies  were  entering  from  all  sides  by  way  of  the 
folding  doors  of  massive  mahogany,  whose  panels  gleamed 
with  golden  stars.  The  Chamber,  previously  half  empty, 
was  now  gradually  filling.  The  little  scattered  groups  of 
members  talking  to  each  other  from  one  row  of  seats  to 
another,  with  an  expression  of  weariness  on  their  faces,  or 
dozing,  or  trying  to  conceal  their  yawns,  were  now  disappear- 
ing amid  the  increasing  crowd  and  general  shaking  of  hands. 
As  the  members  took  their  seats,  they  exchanged  smiles  ; 
there  w^as  a  general,  almost  family  likeness  about  them.  By 
the  expression  of  their  faces  one  and  all  seemed  impressed  by 
the  duties  they  had  to  fulfil.  A  stout  man,  on  the  last  row  to 
the  left,  had  fallen  asleep,  but  was  awakened  by  his  neighbour ; 
and,  when  the  latter  whispered  a  few  words  in  his  ear,  he 
hastily  rubbed  his  eyes,  and  assumed  a  more  decorous  atti- 
tude. The  sitting,  after  dragging  on  wearily  through  a  series 
of  petty  tedious  details,  was  at  last  about  to  become  supremely 
interesting. 

M.  Kahn  and  bis  two  colleagues  were  being  gradually 
driven  towards  their  seats  by  the  increasing  crowd,  almost 
without  being  aware  of  it.  They  went  on  with  their  conversa- 
tion, every  now  and  then  suppressing  a  laugh.  M.  La  Rouquette 
began  a  fresh  story  about  the  fair  Clorinde.  She  had  taken 
a  strange  whim  into  her  head  one  day,  he  said  ;  it  was  to  have 
her  room  hung  with  black,  spangled  with  silver  tears,  and  to 
hold  a  reception  of  her  friends  there  ;  she  herself  lying  in  bed, 
covered  up  with  black  drapery  which  allowed  scarcely  any- 
thing more  than  her  nose  to  appear. 

As  M.  Kahn  at  last  took  his  seat,  his  memory  suddenly 
returned  to  him.  '  La  Rouquette  is  a  foolish  chatterbox,'  he 
muttered  ;  '  he  has  made  me  miss  Rougon.'  Then  he  turned 
towards  his  neighbour  and  exclaimed  angrily :  '  You  really 
might  have  reminded  me,  Bejuin  !  ' 

Rougon,  who  had  just  been  introduced  with  the  customary 
ceremonial,  had  already  taken  his  seat  between  two  members 
of  the  Council  of  State  on  the  Government  bench,  a  sort  of 
huge  mahogany  box,  situated  beneath  the  President's  desk 
and  occupying  the  place  of  the  suppressed  tribune.  His  broad 
shoulders  tightly  distended  his  uniform  of  green  cloth,  orna- 
mented with  gold  braid  at  the  neck  and  sleeve-cuffs.     His  face, 


12  ms  EXCELLENCY 

with  thick  grizzly  hair  dustering  over  his  square  brow,  was 
turned  towards  the  Chamber,  but  his  eyes  were  hidden  by  their 
heavy  drooping  hds.  The  commonplace  plainness  of  his 
big  nose,  fleshy  lips,  and  long  cheeks,  which  his  six-and-forty 
years  had  not  yet  furrowed  with  a  single  wrinkle,  was  every 
now  and  then  irradiated  with  something  like  beauty  by  an 
expression  of  great  strength.  He  sat  perfectly  quiet,  leaning 
back  with  his  chin  resting  on  his  coat  collar,  noticing  nobody, 
and  seeming  quite  indifferent  and  a  little  weary. 

'  He  looks  just  as  he  does  every  day,'  M.  Bejuin  remarked. 

The  deputies  were  all  leaning  over  to  observe  Eougon. 
Whispered  remarks  on  his  appearance  buzzed  from  ear  to  ear. 
In  the  galleries  especially  his  entrance  had  caused  lively 
excitement.  The  Charbonnels,  in  their  desire  to  let  their 
presence  be  known,  craned  their  enraptured  faces  forward  at 
the  risk  of  falling  over ;  Madame  Correur  coughed  slightly 
and  drew  out  a  handkerchief  which  she  gently  waved,  while 
pretending  to  carry  it  to  her  lips  ;  Colonel  Jobelin  straightened 
himself  ;  and  pretty  Madame  Bouchard,  after  tying  her  bonnet- 
strings  afresh,  again  hurried  down  to  the  front  row  of  the 
State  Council  gallery,  while  M.  d'Escorailles  remained  behind 
quite  still  and  seemingly  much  annoyed.  As  for  the  fair 
Clorinde,  she  did  not  beat  about  the  bush.  Seeing  that  Rougon 
did  not  raise  his  eyes,  she  began  to  tap  her  opera-glass  against 
the  marble  column  beside  which  she  was  leaning,  and  as  these 
tactics  did  not  succeed  in  attracting  his  attention,  she  said  to 
her  mother,  in  such  a  clear  ringing  voice  that  every  one  in  the 
Chamber  heard  her  ;  '  He's  in  the  sulks,  the  fat  sly  fellow  !  ' 

Several  deputies  looked  round  and  smiled,  and  Rougon 
himself  glanced  up  at  the  fair  Clorinde.  As  he  nodded  his 
head  almost  imperceptibly  towards  her,  she  triumphantly 
clapped  her  hands,  and  leant  back,  laughing  and  talking  quite 
loudly  to  her  mother,  quite  careless  of  the  men  down  below 
who  were  staring  at  her. 

Before  Rougon  dropped  his  eyes  again  he  glanced  slowly 
round  the  gallery,  where  his  comprehensive  gaze  at  once  took 
in  Madame  Bouchard,  Colonel  Jobelin,  Madame  Correur,  and 
the  Charbonnels.  However,  his  face  remained  expressionless. 
He  again  let  his  chin  drop  and  half-closed  his  eyes  as  he 
stifled  a  slight  yawn. 

'  I'll  go  and  have  a  word  with  him  now,'  M.  Kahn 
whispered  into  M.  Bejuin's  ear. 

But  as  he  was  rising  from  his  seat,  the  President,  who 


THE   CORPS  LEGISLATIF  13 

during  the  last  few  moments  had  been  looking  round  to  see  if 
all  the  deputies  were  in  their  places,  rang  his  boll  authori- 
tatively. Then  all  at  once  there  was  profound  silence.  A 
fair-haired  member  in  the  first  row  of  seats  now  stood  up, 
holding  a  large  sheet  of  paper  upon  which  he  kept  his  eyes 
fixed  as  he  spoke. 

'  I  have  the  honour,'  he  said  in  a  sing-song  voice,  '  to 
present  a  report  upon  the  bill  by  which  it  is  proposed  to  include 
among  the  estimates  of  the  Ministry  of  State  for  1856  a  sum 
of  400,000  francs,  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  ceremonies 
and  rejoicings  connected  with  the  baptism  of  the  Prince 
Imperial.' 

Then  he  slowly  stepped  forward  as  though  about  to  lay 
the  paper  on  the  table  of  the  Chamber,  but  the  deputies  cried 
out  unanimously  :  '  Eead  it !     Read  it !  ' 

The  deputy  who  had  prepared  tbe  report  waited  till  the 
President  gave  his  sanction.  Then  he  commenced  in  a  voice 
that  seemed  affected  by  emotion  :  '  Gentlemen,  the  bill  which 
has  been  brought  before  us  is  one  of  those  which  make  the 
customary  formalities  of  voting  seem  dilatory,  since  they 
check  the  enthusiastic  impulses  of  the  Corps  Legislatif.' 

'  Hear  !  hear  !  '  cried  several  members. 

'  In  the  humblest  families,'  continued  the  speaker  in  care- 
fully modulated  tones,  '  the  birth  of  a  son  and  heir,  with  all 
the  ideas  of  transmission  which  are  attached  to  that  title,  is  a 
source  of  such  sweet  joy  that  the  trials  of  the  past  are  forgotten, 
and  hope  alone  hovers  over  the  cradle  of  the  new-born  child. 
What,  then,  shall  we  say  of  such  a  happy  event  when  it  not 
only  prompts  the  rejoicing  of  a  family  but  that  of  a  great 
nation,  and  is  an  event  of  European  interest  ?  ' 

This  piece  of  rhetoric  thrilled  the  Chamber  with  emotion. 
Rougon,  who  appeared  to  be  asleep,  could  see  none  but 
beaming  faces  in  front  of  him.  Some  deputies  accentuated 
their  attontion,  holding  their  hands  to  their  ears  so  that 
they  might  lose  nothing  of  this  carefully  prepared  report. 
Its  author,  after  a  slight  pause,  raised  his  voice  as  he  con- 
tinued, '  To-day,  gentlemen,  it  is  indeed  the  great  family  of 
France  that  invites  all  its  members  to  give  expression  to  their 
joy  ;  and  what  pomp  and  circumstance  would  be  magnificent 
enough  if  it  were  possible  by  display  to  express  the  grandeur 
of  our  legitimate  hopes  ?  '     Here  the  reporter  paused  again. 

'  Hear !  hear  ! '  cried  the  deputies. 


14  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

'  That's  very  nicely  put,'  M.  Kahn  remarked  ;  *  isn't  it, 
Bejuin  ?  ' 

M.  Bejuin  was  wagging  his  head  with  his  eyes  fixed  on 
the  cut-glass  chandelier  which  hung  from  the  window-ceiling 
in  front  of  the  President's  seat.  He  was  in  a  state  of  blissful 
rapture. 

Meanwhile  in  the  gallery  the  fair  Clorinde  kept  her  opera- 
glass  to  her  eyes  and  lost  not  a  single  expression  of  the 
reporter's  face.  The  Charbonnels'  eyes  were  moist,  and 
Madame  Correur  had  assumed  a  decorously  attentive  attitude, 
while  the  colonel  expressed  his  approbation  by  nodding  his 
head,  and  pretty  Madame  Bouchard  ventured  to  lean  against 
M.  d'Escorailles'  knees.  The  President  and  the  clerk  and 
the  ushers  listened  solemnly,  without  making  the  slightest 
gesture, 

'  The  cradle  of  the  Prince  Imperial,'  resumed  the  reporter, 
'  is  henceforth  our  security  for  the  future  ;  for,  by  perpetuating 
the  dynasty  which  we  have  all  acclaimed,  it  assures  the  pros- 
perity of  our  country,  its  repose  and  stability,  and,  through 
ours,  that  of  the  rest  of  Europe.' 

Cries  of  '  Hush  !  hush  ! '  were  necessary  to  subdue  the  burst 
of  enthusiastic  applause  which  broke  out  at  this  touching 
reference  to  the  cradle. 

'  Once  before  a  scion  of  this  illustrious  race  seemed  equally 
intended  for  a  great  destniy,  but  his  time  and  our  own  have 
no  similarity.  Peace  is  the  result  of  the  wise  and  skilful  rule 
of  which  we  are  now  reaping  the  fruits,  even  as  the  genius  of 
war  dictated  that  epic  poem  which  forms  the  story  of  the  first 
Empire. 

'  Hailed  at  his  bn'th  by  the  guns  which  from  north  to  south 
proclaimed  the  successes  of  our  arms,  the  King  of  Rome  was 
not  even  permitted  to  serve  his  country  ;  so,  indeed,  Provi- 
dence then  decreed ' 

'  What's  that  he's  saying  ?  He's  putting  his  foot  in  it,' 
said  sceptical  M.  La  Rouquette,  '  That's  very  clumsy  ;  he'll 
spoil  his  speech.' 

The  deputies  certainly  seemed  uneasy.  Why  was  this  his- 
torical reference  dragged  in  to  damp  their  enthusiasm  ?  Several 
of  them  blew  their  nose.s.  The  author  of  the  report,  however, 
only  smiled  when  he  saw  the  chilling  effect  of  his  last  sentences. 
He  raised  his  voice  and  pursued  his  antithesis,  carefully  modu- 
lating his  tones,  evidently  quite  confident  that  he  would  make 
his  point. 


THE   CORPS  LEGISLATIF  15 

'  But,  coming  to  us  at  one  of  those  momentous  times  when 
the  birth  of  a  single  Hfe  may  be  regarded  as  the  salvation  of 
all,  the  Child  of  France  to-day  gives  to  us  and  to  all  future 
generations  the  right  and  the  privilege  of  living  and  dying  at 
our  ancestral  firesides.  Such  is  the  promise  vouchsafed  to  us 
by  the  divine  kindness.' 

This  seemed  exquisite.  Everybody  understood,  and  a 
murmur  of  pleasure  travelled  through  the  Chamber.  The 
assurance  of  an  everlasting  peace  was  very  charming.  The 
tranquillised  members  once  more  resumed  the  pleased  expres- 
sions of  men  revelling  in  rhetoric.  There  was  nothing  to 
disturb  them.     Europe  belonged  to  their  master. 

'  The  Emperor,'  continued  the  speaker  with  fresh  vigour, 
'having  become  the  arbiter  of  Europe,  was  about  to  sign  that 
noble  peace  which,  bringing  together  the  productive  forces  of 
the  different  nations,  is  as  much  an  alliance  of  peoples  as  of 
monarchs,'  when  God  was  pleased  to  crown  his  happiness 
as  well  as  his  glory.  Is  it  not  allowable  to  think  that,  at  that 
moment,  he  foresaw  many  fair  and  prosperous  years  while 
gazing  upon  that  cradle  where  slumbers,  though  now  but  an 
infant,  the  heir  who  is  destined  to  carry  on  his  great  policy  ?  ' 

This,  too,  was  thought  very  pretty.  Such  a  hope  might  be 
justifiably  entertained,  so  the  deputies  said,  as  they  nodded 
their  heads  approvingly.  The  report,  however,  was  now 
beginning  to  seem  a  trifie  long,  and  several  members  looked 
solemn  again.  Some  of  them  even  glanced  at  the  gallery  like 
practical  matter-of-fact  politicians  who  felt  rather  ashamed  of 
being  thus  seen  spending  their  time  in  an  unbusiness-like  way. 
Others  ceased  to  pay  attention,  and  reverted  to  their  own 
affairs,  or  again  tapped  the  mahogany  of  their  desks  with  their 
finger-tips ;  while  through  the  minds  of  others  there  flitted 
vague  recollections  of  other  sittings  when  professions  of  devo- 
tion had  been  lavished  on  some  other  cradle. 

As  for  M.  La  Rouquette,  he  turned  very  frequently  to  look 
at  the  clock,  and  when  the  hand  pointed  to  a  quarter  to  three 
an  expression  of  desperation  passed  over  his  face.  He  would 
miss  an  appointment !  Meantime  M.  Kahn  and  M  Bejuin  sat 
motionless  side  by  side,  with  crossed  arms  and  blinking  eyes, 
which  wandered  from  the  great  velvet  panels  to  the  bas-relief  of 
white  marble  across  which  the  President's  frock-coat  stretched 
like  a  black  bar.     In  the  diplomatists'  gallery  the  fair  Clorinde 

'  This   is   a   reference   to   the  Peace  of  Paris  after  the   Crimean 
War.— £(i. 


1 6  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

was  still  gazing  through  her  opera-glass,  making  a  lengthy 
examination  of  Bougon,  who  preserved  the  majestic  mien  of  a 
sleeping  bull. 

However,  the  author  of  the  report  showed  no  signs  of 
hurry,  but  listened  to  himself  as  he  read  on,  indulging  the 
while  in  a  rhythmic  beatifical  motion  of  the  shoulders. 

'  Let  us  then  display  full  and  complete  confidence,  and 
may  the  Corps  Legislatif,  upon  this  great  and  solemn  occasion, 
bear  in  mind  that  the  Emperor  and  itself  have  a  common 
origin,  which  almost  confers  upon  it  a  family-right  above 
that  which  the  other  State  bodies  may  possess  to  share  in  its 
Sovereign's  joy. 

'  The  Corps  Legislatif,  which,  like  himself,  is  the  offspring 
of  the  willing  vote  of  the  people,  becomes  now  the  mouth- 
piece of  the  nation  in  offering  to  the  august  child  the  homage 
of  its  unchangeable  respect,  of  its  devotion  which  nothing 
can  destroy,  and  of  that  boundless  love  which  converts 
political  faith  into  a  religion  whose  duties  are  blessed.' 

The  mention  of  homage  and  religion  and  duties  seemed 
to  betoken  that  the  speaker  was  drawing  to  a  conclusion. 
The  Charbonnels  therefore  ventured  to  exchange  remarks  in 
low  tones,  and  Madame  Correur  stifled  a  slight  cough  in  her 
handkerchief ;  while  Madame  Bouchard  quietly  returned  to 
the  rear  of  the  Council  of  State  gallery,  and  resumed  her 
seat  near  M.  Jules  d'Escorailles. 

And,  indeed,  the  reporter  suddenly  changed  his  tone  and 
came  down  from  the  solemn  to  the  familiar,  as  he  quickly 
gabbled  out :  '  We  propose  to  you,  gentlemen,  the  adoption  of 
tlie  bill,  such  as  it  has  been  brought  forward  by  the  Council 
of  State.' 

Then  he  resumed  his  seat  amidst  general  applause. 
Shouts  of  '  Hear,  hear ! '  rang  out  from  all  sides.  M.  de 
Combelot,  whose  smiling  attention  had  not  waned  for  an 
instant,  even  cried,  '  Long  live  the  Emperor !  '  but  the 
exclamation  was  lost  amid  the  hubbub ;  however.  Colonel 
Jobelin  received  almost  an  ovation  as  he  stood  at  the  edge  of 
the  gallery,  and  clapped  his  withered  hands,  in  spite  of  the 
regulations  to  the  contrary.  Everybody  enthusiastically 
congratulated  everybody  else.  Work  was  over,  and  from  row 
to  row  kindly  remarks  were  exchanged,  while  a  crowd  of 
friends  thronged  round  the  author  of  the  report  and  energeti- 
cally shook  both  his  hands. 

But  above  the  confusion  came  a  cry  of  '  Deliberate ! 
deliberate ! ' 


THE   CORPS  LEGISLATIF  17 

The  President  had  been  standing  at  his  desk,  apparently 
expecting  this  cry.  He  rang  his  bell,  and  as  the  Chamber 
suddenly  became  respectfully  attentive,  he  said  :  '  Gentlemen, 
a  large  number  of  members  desire  that  we  should  at  once 
deliberate  upon  this  measure.' 

'  Yes,  yes,'  cried  the  Chamber  with  one  voice. 

But  there  was  no  deliberation.  They  proceeded  to  vote  at 
once.  The  two  clauses  of  the  measure  which  were  succes- 
sively put  to  the  Chamber  were  immediately  passed  by  the 
deputies  rising  in  their  places.  The  President  had  scarcely 
finished  reading  each  clause  before  all  the  members  rose  in  a 
mass  with  much  stamping  of  feet,  as  though  under  the  in- 
fluence of  some  thrill  of  enthusiasm.  Then  the  urn-shaped 
ballot-boxes  were  passed  round  by  the  ushers  who,  thread- 
ing tbeir  way  between  the  seats,  received  the  votes  in  these 
zinc  receptacles.  The  400,000  francs  were  voted  unanimously 
by  the  2B9  members  present. 

'  That's  good  work  done,'  said  M.  Bejuin  naively,  and  he 
began  to  laugh  as  though  he  had  said  something  witty. 

'  It's  past  three  o'clock ;  I'm  off,'  exclaimed  M.  La 
Rouquette,  passing  in  front  of  M.  Kahn. 

The  Chamber  was  emptying.  The  deputies  were  all  making 
for  the  doors  and  seemed  to  vanish  through  the  walls.  The 
next  business  consisted  of  matters  of  mere  local  interest,  and 
there  was  soon  no  one  left  on  the  benches  except  a  few  willing 
deputies  who  had  probably  nothing  to  do  elsewhere,  and  these 
resumed  either  their  interrupted  naps  or  their  conversation  at 
the  point  where  it  had  been  broken  off,  the  sitting  concluding, 
as  it  had  begun,  in  the  midst  of  listless  indifference. 
Gradually,  too,  the  general  buzzing  subsided  as  though  the 
Corps  Legislatif  had  dropped  off*  to  sleep  in  some  quiet  corner 
of  Paris. 

'  You  had  better  try  to  get  a  word  with  Delestang  as  you 
go  away,'  said  M.  Kahn  to  M.  Bejuin.  '  He  came  with  Rougon, 
and  must  know  something.' 

'  Yes,  you  are  right ;  that's  Delestang  yonder,'  replied 
M.  Bejuin,  gazing  at  the  councillor  who  was  sitting  on 
Eougon's  left ;  '  I  never  know  them  in  those  confounded 
uniforms.' 

'  I  shall  stop  here  so  as  to  have  a  chance  of  getting  hold 
of  the  great  man,'  added  M.  Kahn.  '  It's  necessary  that  we 
should  know  the  truth.' 

The  President  was  putting  to  the  vote  an  interminable 

c 


1 8  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

string  of  bills,  which  were  passed  by  the  members  rising 
in  their  places.  They  all  stood  up  and  then  sat  down 
again  quite  mechanically,  without  ceasing  to  converse  and 
even  without  ceasing  to  sleep.  The  proceedings  were 
becoming  so  wearisome  that  most  of  the  spectators  whom 
curiosity  had  brought  to  the  gallery  took  their  departure. 
Only  Eougon's  friends  remained.  They  were  still  hoping  that 
he  would  speak. 

Suddenly,  a  deputy,  whose  correctly  trimmed  whiskers 
bespoke  the  provincial  lawyer,  arose.  This  at  once  stopped 
the  monotonous  mechanism  of  the  voting.  Surprise  made  all 
the  members  turn  and  look  at  the  one  who  had  risen. 
'  Gentlemen,'  said  he,  standing  in  his  place, '  I  ask  permission 
to  explain  the  reasons  which,  to  my  great  regret,  have  com- 
pelled me  to  differ  from  the  majority  of  the  Committee.' 

His  voice  was  so  shrill  and  comical  that  the  fair  Clorinde 
had  to  stifle  a  laugh  with  her  hands.  Below  in  the  Chamber 
itself,  the  astonishment  was  increasing.  What  was  the  man 
talking  about  ?  By  dint  of  inquiries,  the  others  ascertained 
that  the  President  had  just  brought  before  the  Chamber  a  bill 
authorising  the  department  of  the  Pyrenees-Orientales  to 
borrow  250,000  francs  wherewith  to  build  a  Palace  of  Justice 
at  Perpignan.  The  speaker,  who  was  a  general  councillor  of 
the  department,  was  opposing  the  bill.  The  matter  seemed 
likely  to  be  interesting,  so  the  deputies  began  to  listen. 

The  member  with  the  correctly  trimmed  whiskers  spoke, 
however,  with  great  circumspection.  He  used  the  most 
guarded  language,  and  referred  with  the  greatest  respect  to  all 
the  authorities  ;  but  the  expenses  of  the  department,  he  said, 
were  very  heavy,  and  he  dwelt  at  length  upon  the  financial 
situation  of  the  Pyrenees-Orientales.  Moreover,  he  did  not 
think  that  any  necessity  for  a  new  Palace  of  Justice  had  been 
satisfactorily  demonstrated.  He  continued  in  this  strain  for 
a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  on  sitting  down  seemed  quite  over- 
come with  emotion.  Then  Rougon  again  slowly  dropped  his 
eyelids  which  he  had  temporarily  raised. 

However,  the  reporter  of  the  Committee  which  had  ex- 
amined the  bill  got  up.  He  was  a  little  animated  old  man  who 
spoke  in  clear,  incisive  tones  like  one  who  is  sure  of  his 
ground.  He  began  with  a  complimentary  reference  to  his 
honourable  colleague,  with  whom  he  regretted  to  find  himself 
in  disagreement.  But  really,  he  went  on  to  say,  the  depart- 
ment of  the  Pyrenees-Orientales  was  not  nearly   so  heavily 


THE    CORPS  LEG  IS  LA  TIF  19 

burdened  as  had  been  alleged,  and  he  brought  forward  fresh 
figures  which  showed  the  financial  position  of  the  department 
in  an  entirely  different  light.  Moreover,  the  absolute  necessity 
for  a  new  Palace  of  Justice  could  not  be  denied.  And  he 
entered  into  details.  The  old  Palace,  he  said,  was  situated  in 
such  a  densely  populated  neighbourhood  that  the  noise  of  the 
streets  prevented  the  judges  from  hearing  counsel  speak. 
Then  it  was  too  small ;  and  when  the  Assizes  were  being  held, 
and  there  happened  to  be  a  large  number  of  witnesses  in 
attendance,  they  were  obliged  to  remain  on  the  landings 
exposed  to  the  solicitations  of  interested  parties  who  might 
desire  to  influence  them.  The  speaker  concluded  by  mention- 
ing as  an  irresistible  argument  the  fact  that  the  measure  had 
been  introduced  at  the  instigation  of  the  Keeper  of  the  Seals 
himself. 

Kougon  was  sitting  quite  still,  his  hands  clasped  upon  his 
legs  and  his  head  resting  against  the  mahogany  desk.  At  the 
outset  of  the  discussion  his  shoulders  had  seemed  to  sink 
lower  than  before,  but  when  the  first  speaker  rose  to  reply,  he 
raised  his  big  frame  without  actually  getting  on  to  his  feet,  and 
said  in  a  husky  voice  :  '  The  honourable  member  who  reported 
upon  this  measure  forgot  to  mention  that  it  has  also  received 
the  approval  of  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  and  the  Minister  of 
Finance.' 

Then  he  let  himself  drop  again  and  resumed  the  attitude 
of  a  drowsy  bull.  A  slight  murmur  ran  through  the  Chamber, 
and  the  deputy  who  had  risen  to  reply  sat  down  with  a  low 
bow.  The  bill  was  passed,  and  those  members  who  had 
shown  any  interest  in  the  debate  once  more  assumed  an  ex- 
pression of  indifference. 

Kougon  had  spoken.  From  one  section  of  the  gallery  to 
another  Colonel  Jobelin  exchanged  glances  with  the  Char- 
bonnels,  while  Madame  Correur  made  ready  to  leave  her  place, 
just  as  she  would  have  quitted  her  box  at  the  theatre  before 
the  fall  of  the  curtain,  if  the  hero  of  the  play  had  delivered 
his  last  speech.  M.  d'Escorailles  and  Madame  Bouchard  had 
already  taken  their  departure.  Clorinde  stood  by  the  velvet- 
covered  balustrade,  her  majestic  figure  showing  conspicuously 
as  she  slowly  wrapped  her  lace  shawl  about  her,  glancing 
round  the  deputies'  seats  as  she  did  so.  The  rain  was  no 
longer  beating  down  upon  the  window,  but  the  sky  remained 
overcast.  The  mahogany  desks  looked  quite  black  in  that 
sombre  light,  and  a  shadowy  mist  streamed  over  the  seats, 

Qi2 


20  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

which  the  bald  heads  of  some  of  the  deputies  lighted  up  here 
and  there  with  patches  of  white.  Against  the  marble- work 
below  the  vague,  pale  allegorical  figures,  the  President  and  the 
clerks  and  ushers,  all  in  black  and  ranged  in  a  line,  showed 
like  the  stiff  silhouettes  of  a  shadow-pantomime.  The  whole 
Chamber  became  blurred  in  the  suddenly  waning  light. 

'  Oh,  come  along !  '  exclaimed  Clorinde,  pushing  her 
mother  out  of  the  gallery  ;  '  it  is  enough  to  kill  one  in  here  ! ' 

She  quite  startled  the  drowsy  ushers  in  the  corridor  by 
the  strange  fashion  in  which  she  had  twisted  her  shawl  round 
her  hips. 

When  they  got  downstairs  into  the  hall  the  ladies  met 
Colonel  Jobelin  and  Madame  Correur. 

'  We  are  waiting  for  him  here,'  said  the  colonel.  '  Perhaps 
he  will  come  out  this  way.  But  in  any  case  I  have  signalled 
to  Kahn  and  Bejuin   to  come  and  give  me  some  information.' 

Madame  Correur  stepped  up  to  the  Countess  Balbi.  '  Ah  I 
it  would  be  a  great  misfortune,'  she  said  in  a  disconsolate 
voice  without  attempting  to  explain  her  meaning. 

The  colonel  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven.  '  The  country  has 
need  of  men  like  Eougon,'  he  resumed  after  a  short  pause. 
*  The  Emperor  would  make  a  great  mistake.' 

Then  there  was  another  pause.  Clorinde  tried  to  peep  into 
the  '  Salle  des  Pas  Perdus,'  but  an  usher  promptly  closed  the 
door.  So  she  came  back  to  her  mother,  who  was  standing 
silent  in  her  black  veil.  '  What  a  bore  it  is  having  to  wait  like 
this  !  '  she  muttered. 

Some  soldiers  now  made  their  appearance,  and  Colonel 
Jobelin  thereupon  announced  that  the  sitting  was  over.  Next 
the  Charbonnels  came  into  sight  at  the  top  of  the  staircase, 
and  made  their  way  down  very  carefully  one  after  the  other 
and  each  clinging  to  the  balustrade.  As  soon  as  M.  Charbonnel 
saw  the  colonel  he  called  out : '  He  didn't  say  much,  but  he  com- 
pletely shut  them  up.' 

'  He  hadn't  a  proper  chance,'  the  colonel  whispered  when 
the  other  reached  him,  '  otherwise  you  would  have  heard 
something  fine.     He  wants  warming  up.' 

However,  the  soldiers  had  formed  a  double  line  from  the 
Chamber  to  the  gallery  leading  to  the  President's  mansion. 
Then  a  procession  made  its  appearance  while  the  drummers 
beat  a  salute.  At  the  head  walked  two  ushers,  dressed  in 
black  with  cocked  hats  under  their  arms,  chains  about  their 
necks,  and  swords  with  steel  hilts  at  their  sides.     Then  came 


THE   CORPS  LEG  IS  LA  TIF  21 

the  President,  escorted  by  two  officers.  The  clerks  of  the 
Chamber  and  the  President's  secretary  followed.  As  the 
President  passed  the  fair  Clorinde  he  smiled  at  her  like 
a  homme  du  monde,  notwithstanding  the  pomp  of  his  pro- 
cession. 

'  Ah,  you  are  there  !  '  cried  M.  Kahn,  running  up  with 
a  distracted  look. 

Though  the  public  were  at  that  time  excluded  from  the 
*  Salle  des  Pas  Perdus,'  he  took  them  all  into  it  and  conducted 
them  to  one  of  the  large  glass  doors  wh'ch  opened  upon  the 
garden.  He  seemed  very  much  annoyed.  '  I  have  missed 
him  again  !  '  he  cried.  '  He  slipped  out  into  the  Rue  de 
Bourgogne  while  I  was  waiting  for  him  in  the  General  Foy 
gallery.  But  it  really  makes  no  difference  ;  we  shall  get  to 
know  everything  all  the  same.  I  have  sent  Bejuin  after 
Delestang.' 

They  waited  for  another  ten  long  minutes.  The  deputies 
were  all  coming  away  looking  careless  and  unconcerned. 
Some  of  them  lingered  to  light  cigars  and  others  stood  in  little 
groups,  laughing  and  shaking  hands.  Madame  Correur  had 
stepped  aside  to  inspect  the  '  Laocoon  '  ;  and  while  the 
Charbonnels  threw  back  their  heads  to  look  at  a  sea-gull  which 
a  whimsical  artist  had  painted  on  the  frame  of  a  fresco,  as 
though  it  were  flying  out  of  the  picture,  the  fair  Clorinde, 
standing  in  front  of  the  great  bronze  figure  of  Minerva, 
examined  the  arms  and  bosom  of  the  gigantic  goddess  with 
an  air  of  interest.  Meantime  in  a  corner  by  the  glass  door 
Colonel  Jobelin  and  M.  Kahn  were  carrying  on  an  animated 
conversation  in  low  tones. 

'  Ah,  there's  Bejuin  ! '  suddenly  exclaimed  the  latter. 
Then  they  all  drew  together  with  an  expression  of  anxiety. 
M.  Bejuin  was  breathing  heavily.     '  Well  ?  '  they  asked  him, 

'  Well  !  the  resignation  has  been  accepted,  and  Eougon 
retires.' 

It  was  a  crushing  blow.  An  interval  of  deep  silence 
followed.  However,  Clorinde,  who,  to  employ  her  nervous 
fingers,  was  knotting  a  corner  of  her  shawl,  caught  sight  of  pretty 
Madame  Bouchard  walking  slowly  along  the  garden,  upon  M. 
d'Escorailles'  arm,  with  her  head  inclined  over  his  shoulder. 
They  had  come  down  before  the  others,  and,  taking  advantage  of 
an  open  door,  were  now  strolling  like  lovers  under  the  lace- 
work  of  fresh  young  leaves,  in  the  quiet  walks  usually  utilised 
for  serious  meditation.     Cloiinde  beckoned  to  them. 


2  2  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

'  The  great  man  has  retired !  '  she  said  to  the  smiUng 
young  woman. 

At  this  Madame  Bouchard  abruptly  dropped  her  cavaher's 
arm,  and  turned  very  pale  and  grave,  while  M.  Kahn, 
surrounded  by  Rougon's  alarmed  friends,  despairingly  raised 
his  arms  to  heaven,  unable  to  say  a  single  word. 


n 

EESIGNATION 

In  the  next  morning's  Moniteur  Rougon's  resignation  was 
officially  announced.  It  was  stated  that  he  had  resigned  for 
'  reasons  of  health.'  After  his  lunch,  wishing  to  set  every- 
thing in  order  for  his  successor,  he  went  down  to  the  Council 
of  State,  and  installed  himself  in  the  spacious  room  hung  with 
crimson  and  gold,  which  was  assigned  to  the  President.  And 
there,  in  front  of  a  large  rosewood  writing-table,  he  began  to 
empty  the  drawers  and  classify  the  papers,  which  he  tied  up 
in  bundles  with  pieces  of  pink  tape.  All  at  once,  however,  he 
rang  the  bell,  and  an  usher  entered  the  room — a  splendidly 
built  man  who  had  served  in  the  cavalry. 

'  Give  me  a  lighted  candle,'  said  Rougon. 

Then  as  the  usher  was  leaving  the  room,  after  placing  on 
the  table  a  small  candlestick  taken  from  the  mantel-piece, 
Rougon  called  him  back.  '  Admit  nobody,  Merle,'  he  said ; 
*  no  one  at  all,  you  understand  ?  ' 

'  Yes,  Monsieur  le  President,'  replied  the  usher,  closing  the 
door  noiselessly  behind  him. 

A  faint  smile  played  over  Rougon's  face.  He  turned 
towards  Delestang,  who  stood  at  the  other  end  of  the  room 
carefully  examining  the  contents  of  several  pasteboard  boxes. 
'  Our  friend  Merle  hasn't  read  the  Moniteur  this  morning,' 
he  muttered. 

Delestang  merely  shook  his  head,  unable  to  think  of  any 
suitable  reply.  He  had  a  magnificent  head,  very  bald, 
indeed,  but  bald  after  that  precocious  fashion  which  is  rather 
pleasing  to  women.  His  bare  skull  greatly  increased  the  size 
of  his  brow  and  gave  him  an  expression  of  vast  intelligence. 
His   clean-shaven,  florid,   and  somewhat  squarely  cut  face 


RESIGNATION-  23 

recalled  those  perfect,  pensive  couutenances  which  imagina- 
tive painters  are  wont  to  confer  upon  great  statesmen. 

'  Merle  is  extremely  devoted  to  you,'  he  remarked  after  a 
pause. 

Then  he  lowered  his  head  over  the  pasteboard  box  which 
he  was  examining,  while  Eougon  crumpled  up  a  handful  of 
papers,  and  after  hghting  them  at  the  taper  threw  them  into  a 
large  bronze  vase  which  stood  at  the  edge  of  his  table.  He 
watched  them  burn  away. 

'  Don't  touch  the  boxes  at  the  bottom,  Delestang,'he  said  ; 
'there  are  papers  in  them  that  I  must  examine  myself.' 

Then,  for  another  quarter  of  an  hour,  they  both  went  on 
with  their  respective  occupations  in  silence.  It  was  a  very 
fine  day,  and  the  sun  streamed  in  through  three  large  windows 
which  overlooked  the  quay.  Through  one  of  them,  which 
was  half  open,  puffs  of  fresh  air  from  the  Seine  were  wafted 
in,  occasionally  stirring  the  fringe  of  the  silk  curtains,  and 
rustling  the  crumpled  pieces  of  paper  which  lay  about  the 
floor. 

'  Just  look  at  this,'  said  Delestang,  handing  Eougon  a 
letter  which  he  had  found. 

Eougon  read  it  and  then  quietly  lighted  it  at  the  taper. 
It  was  a  letter  on  a  delicate  matter.  The  two  men  carried  on 
a  disjointed  conversation,  breaking  ofl'  every  few  moments  to 
bury  their  faces  afresh  in  the  piles  of  old  papers.  Eougon 
thanked  Delestang  for  having  come  to  help  him.  He  was  the 
only  person  whom  he  felt  that  he  could  trust  to  assist  him  in 
this  task  of  washing  the  dirty  linen  of  his  five  years'  presi- 
dency. They  had  been  friends  together  in  the  Legislative 
Assembly,  where  they  had  sat  side  by  side  on  the  same  bench. 
It  was  there  that  Eougon  had  taken  a  genuine  fancy  to  this 
splendid-looking  man,  on  finding  that  he  was  so  delightfully 
foolish  and  shallow  and  proud.  He  often  ixsed  to  say  with  an 
air  of  conviction  that  '  that  precious  Delestang  would  go  a 
long  way.'  He  did  what  he  could  to  push  him  on,  gratitude 
yielding  devotion,  and  he  made  use  of  him  as  a  kind  of  strong 
box  in  which  he  locked  up  whatever  he  could  not  carry  about 
with  him. 

'  How  fooHsh  of  me  to  have  kept  all  these  papers  ! ' 
Eougon  murmured,  as  he  opened  a  fresh  drawer  which  was 
crammed  quite  full. 

'  Here  is  a  letter  from  a  lady  ! '  said  Delestang  winking. 

At  this  Eougon  broke  out  into  a  loud  laugh,  and  his  huge 


24  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

chest  shook.  He  took  the  letter  with  a  protest.  However,  as 
soon  as  his  eyes  had  glanced  over  the  first  lines,  he  exclaimed : 
'  It  was  little  Escorailles  who  let  this  drop  here  !  They  are 
pretty  things  those  letters.  With  three  lines  from  a  woman, 
a  fellow  may  go  a  long  way  !  '  Then,  as  he  burnt  the  letter, 
he  added  :  '  Be  on  your  guard  against  women,  Delestang  ! ' 

Delestang  bent  his  head  again.  He  was  perpetually 
becoming  the  victim  of  some  hazardous  passion.  In  1851  he 
had  all  but  ruined  his  political  prospects.  At  that  time  he 
had  been  madly  infatuated  with  the  wife  of  a  socialist  deputy, 
and  to  curry  favour  with  her  husband  had  more  frequently 
than  not  voted  with  the  opposition  against  the  Elysee.  The 
coui^  d'&tat  of  the  second  of  December  consequently  filled  him 
with  terrible  alarm,  and  he  shut  himself  up  for  a  couple  of 
days  in  distraction,  overwhelmed,  good  for  nothing,  trembling 
with  fear  lest  he  should  be  arrested.  However,  Rougon  had 
helped  him  out  of  his  awkward  position,  advising  him  not  to 
stand  at  the  ensuing  elections  and  taking  him  down  to  the 
Elysee,  where  he  succeeded  in  getting  him  a  place  in  the 
Council  of  State.  Delestang,  whose  father  had  been  a  wine- 
merchant  at  Bercy,  was  himself  a  retired  attorney  and  the 
owner  of  a  model  farm  near  Sainte-Menehould.  He  was 
worth  several  millions  of  francs  and  lived  in  a  very  handsome 
house  in  the  Rue  du  Colisee. 

'  Yes,  beware  of  women,'  Rougon  repeated,  pausing  after 
each  word  so  as  to  glance  at  his  papers.  '  When  a  woman 
does  not  put  a  crown  on  your  head  she  slips  a  halter  round 
your  neck.  At  our  age  a  man's  heart  wants  as  carefully 
looking  after  as  his  stomach.' 

At  this  moment  a  loud  noise  was  heard  in  the  ante- 
chamber, and  Merle's  voice  could  be  recognised  refusing 
admission  to  some  visitor.  However,  a  little  man  suddenly 
rushed  into  the  room,  exclaiming,  'I  really  must  shake 
hands  with  my  dear  friend  ! ' 

'Hallo  !  is  it  you,  Du  Poizat  ? '  exclaimed  Rougon  without 
rising. 

Merle  was  making  sweeping  gesticulations  to  excuse  him- 
self, but  his  master  bade  him  close  the  door.  Then  he 
quietly  said  to  Du  Poizat :  '  I  thought  you  were  at  Bressuire. 
So  you  desert  your  sub-prefecture  as  easily  as  an  old  mis- 
tress, eh  ? ' 

Du  Poizat,  who  was  a  slightly  built  man  with  a  mean- 
looking   face   and  very  white  irregular  teeth,    shrugged  his 


RESIGNATION  25 

shoulders  as  he  replied  :  '  I  arrived  in  Paris  this  morning  on 
business,  and  I  did  not  intend  to  come  and  see  you  till  the 
evening,  when  1  should  have  called  upon  you  in  the  Rue 
Marbeuf  and  have  asked  you  to  give  me  some  dinner.     But 

when  I  read  the  Moniteur '     Then  he  broke  off,  pulled  an 

easy-chair  in  front  of  the  writing-table,  and  seated  himself 
face  to  face  with  Rougon.  *  Well  now,  what's  been  happen- 
ing, eh  ?  '  he  resumed.  '  I've  come  from  the  depths  of  the 
Deux- Sevres.  I  had  heard  something  down  there,  but  I  had 
no  idea  of  this.     Why  didn't  you  write  to  me  ?  ' 

Rougon,  in  his  turn,  shrugged  his  shoulders.  It  was 
evident  that  tidings  of  his  disgrace  had  reached  Du  Poizat  in 
the  country,  and  that  he  had  hastened  to  Paris  to  see  if  he 
could  find  a  means  of  securing  stability  for  his  own  position. 
So  Rougon  gave  him  a  keen  glance  as  he  rejoined :  '  I  should 
have  written  to  you  this  evening.  Send  in  your  resignation, 
my  good  fellow.' 

'  That's  all  that  I  wanted  to  know.  Well,  I  will  resign,' 
replied  Du  Poizat  quietly. 

Then  he  rose  from  his  seat  and  began  to  whistle.  As  he 
slowly  paced  the  room  he  caught  sight  of  Delestang  kneeling 
on  the  carpet  in  the  midst  of  a  litter  of  pasteboard  boxes.  He 
approached  and  silently  shook  hands  with  him.  Then  he 
took  a  cigar  out  of  his  pocket  and  lighted  it  at  the  candle. 

'  I  may  smoke  here,  I  suppose,  as  you  are  moving  ? '  he 
said,  again  sitting  down  in  the  easy-chair.  '  It's  good  fun  is 
moving  ! ' 

Rougon,  however,  was  absorbed  in  a  bundle  of  papers 
which  he  read  with  deep  attention,  sorting  them  very  care- 
fully, burning  some  and  preserving  others.  Du  Poizat,  with 
his  head  lolhng  back,  and  puffing  hght  clouds  of  smoke  from 
between  his  lips,  remained  watching  him.  They  had  become 
acquainted  with  each  other  some  months  before  the  Revo- 
lution of  February,  1848.  At  that  time  they  were  both 
boarding  with  Madame  Correur  at  the  Hotel  Vanneau  in  the 
Rue  Vanneau.  Du  Poizat  had  found  himself  quite  at  home 
there,  for  he  and  Madame  Correur  had  both  been  born  at 
Coulonges,  a  little  town  in  the  district  of  Niort.  His  father, 
a  process-server,  had  sent  him  to  study  law  in  Paris,  where 
he  allowed  him  only  a  hundred  francs  a  month,  although  he 
had  amassed  large  sums  by  lending  money  for  short  periods 
at  extortionate  interest.  The  old  man's  wealth  seemed,  in- 
deed, so  inexplicably  great  to  his  country  neighbours  that  it 


25  niii  EXCELLENCY 

was  said  he  had  discovered  a  large  treasure  in  an  old  chest  of 
drawers  upon  which  lie  had  distrained.  From  the  outset  of 
the  Bonapartist  propaganda  Rougon  had  availed  himself  of 
the  services  of  this  scraggy  youth,  who,  chafing  and  fuming, 
made  such  short  work  of  his  monthly  hundred  francs,  and 
they  dahhled  together  in  the  most  risky  undertakings.  Later 
on,  when  Rougon  was  desirous  of  entering  the  Legislative 
Assembly,  Du  Poizat  worked  energetically  to  secure  his  elec- 
tion for  Deux-Sevres.  Then,  after  the  coiij)  cVetat,  Rougon 
in  his  turn  used  all  his  influence  on  behalf  of  Du  Poizat  and 
got  him  appointed  sub-prefect  at  Bressuire,  The  young  man, 
then  barely  thirty  years  of  age,  had  desired  to  return  in 
triumph  to  his  own  neighbourhood,  where  he  would  be  near 
his  father,  through  whose  avarice  he  had  led  a  life  of  torture 
ever  since  leaving  college. 

*  And  how  is  your  father  ?  '  asked  Rougon,  without  raising 
his  eyes. 

'  Oh,  much  too  well,'  answered  Du  Poizat  bluntly.  '  He 
has  sent  his  last  remaining  servant  away  because  she  ate 
three  pounds  of  bread  a  week.  Now  he  keeps  a  couple  of 
loaded  guns  behind  his  door,  and  when  I  go  to  see  him  I  have 
to  parley  with  him  over  the  wall  of  the  yard.' 

While  talking,  Du  Poizat  leaned  forward  and  poked  his 
fingers  into  the  bronze  vase,  where  some  fragments  of  paper 
were  lying  only  half-consumed.  Rougon  sharply  raised  his 
head  as  he  noticed  this.  He  had  always  felt  somewhat  dis- 
trustful of  his  old  lieutenant,  whose  irregular  white  teeth 
resembled  those  of  a  young  wolf.  In  the  days  when  they  had 
worked  together  he  had  always  made  a  point  of  never  allowing 
any  compromising  document  to  fall  into  his  hands  ;  and  now, 
as  he  saw  him  trying  to  decipher  some  words  that  still  re- 
mained legible  on  the  charred  fragments,  he  threw  a  handful 
of  blazing  letters  into  the  vase.  Du  Poizat  perfectly  under- 
stood why  he  did  so ;  however,  he  merely  smiled  and  began 
to  joke.  '  It's  a  thorough  cleaning  you're  going  in  for,'  he 
said. 

Then  he  took  a  large  pair  of  scissors  and  began  to  use 
them  as  tongs.  He  raised  the  letters  which  were  not  con- 
sumed to  the  taper  in  order  to  relight  them,  held  up  those 
which  had  been  too  tightly  crumpled  to  burn  in  the  vase,  and 
stirred  all  the  flaming  ashes  as  though  he  were  mixing  a 
blazing  bowl  of  punch.  The  red-hot  sparks  danced  about  in 
the  vase,  and  a  cloud  of  bluish  smoke  arose  and  gently  curled 


RESIGNATION  27 

away  towards  the  open  window.  At  intervals  the  candle 
flickered  and  then  burnt  briglitly  again  with  a  straight,  tall 
flame. 

'  That  candle  looks  like  a  funeral-taper  ! '  said  Du  Poizat 
with  a  grin.  '  Ah  !  it's  really  a  burial,  my  poor  friend. 
What  a  lot  of  skeletons  that  require  to  be  reduced  to  ashes, 
eh!' 

Rougon  was  about  to  reply,  when  a  fresh  commotion  was 
heard  in  the  ante-chamber.  Merle  was  a  second  time  refusing 
admission.  As  the  voices  grew  louder,  Eougon  at  last  ex- 
claimed :  '  Will  you  kindly  see  what  it  is,  Delestang  ?  If  I 
show  myself  we  shall  be  quite  invaded.' 

Delestang  cautiously  opened  the  door  and  closed  it  behind 
him.  But  he  popped  his  head  into  the  room  almost  imme- 
diately afterwards,  exclaiming  :  'It's  Kahn  ! ' 

'  Oh,  well ! '  replied  Rougon  ;  '  let  him  come  in  ;  but  no 
one  else,  mind  ! '  Then  he  called  to  Merle  and  reiterated  his 
orders. 

'  I  beg  your  pardon,  my  dear  friend,'  he  said,  turning  to 
Kahn,  as  soon  as  the  usher  had  left  the  room  ;  '  but  I  am  so 
very  busy.  Sit  down  beside  Du  Poizat  and  keep  quite  still  or 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  turn  you  both  out  of  the  room.' 

The  deputy  did  not  appear  in  the  least  ofl'ended  by 
Rougon's  blunt  reception.  He  was  quite  accustomed  to  those 
ways.  He  took  an  easy-chair  and  sat  down  beside  Du  Poizat, 
who  was  lighting  a  second  cigar.  '  It  is  getting  very  warm,' 
he  said,  after  drawing  breath.  '  I  have  just  been  to  the  Rue 
Marbeuf  ;  I  expected  to  find  you  at  home.' 

Rougon  made  no  reply,  and  there  was  an  interval  of 
silence.  The  ex-President  crumpled  uj)  some  papers  and 
threw  them  into  a  basket  which  he  had  placed  by  his  side. 

'  I  want  to  talk  to  you,'  resumed  M.  Kahn. 

'  Talk  away  !  '  said  Rougon  ;  '  I  am  listening.' 

Then  the  deputy  seemed  to  become  suddenly  aware  of  the 
disorder  of  the  room.  '  What  are  you  doing  ?  '  he  asked  with 
admirably  feigned  surprise.     *  Are  you  changing  your  room  ?  ' 

His  tone  seemed  so  sincere  that  Delestang  actually  paused 
in  what  he  was  doing  in  order  to  hand  him  the  Moiiiteur. 

'  Oh  dear  1  Oh  dear  ! '  he  cried,  as  soon  as  he  had  glanced 
at  the  paper.  '  I  thought  the  matter  was  satisfactorily  ar- 
ranged yesterday  evening.  This  comes  upon  me  like  a 
thunderbolt.     My  dear  friend ' 

He  rose  and  pressed  Rougon's  hands.     The  latter  looked 


28  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

at  him  in  silence,  while  two  deep  scoffing  creases  appeared  on 
his  heavy  face  near  his  under  lip.  As  Du  Poizat  seemed 
quite  unmoved,  he  suspected  that  he  and  Kahn  had  already 
met  earlier  in  the  morning,  and  he  was  confirmed  in  this 
opinion  as  the  deputy  had  shown  no  surprise  at  seemg  the 
sub-prefect.  He  surmised  that  one  of  the  pair  had  come 
straight  to  the  Council  of  State  while  the  other  hastened  to 
the  Eue  Marbeuf,  so  that  they  might  be  sure  to  find  him  at 
the  one  or  the  other  place. 

'  Well,  there  is  something  you  want  to  say  to  me,'  quietly 
resumed  Rougon.     '  What  is  it  ? ' 

'  Oh,  I  won't  trouble  you  about  that  now,  my  dear  friend  I ' 
exclaimed  the  deputy.  '  You  have  got  sufficient  to  worry  you 
as  it  is.  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  bother  you  with  my  own 
troubles  at  a  time  like  this.' 

'  Oh,  it  will  be  no  bother,  I  assure  you.     Speak  away.' 

*  Well,  then,  I  wanted  to  speak  to  you  about  that  affair  of 
mine,  that  confounded  grant.  I  am  very  glad  that  Du  Poizat 
is  here,  as  he  may  be  able  to  give  us  information  upon  certain 
points.' 

Then  he  explained  at  great  length  the  exact  position  which 
the  matter  had  reached.  It  was  a  scheme  for  a  railway  from 
Niort  to  Angers,  upon  which  he  had  been  engaged  for  the  last 
three  years.  The  projected  line  would  pass  through  Bressuire, 
where  he  possessed  some  blast-furnaces,  the  value  of  which  it 
would  largely  increase.  At  the  present  time  there  were  great 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  transport,  and  the  business  was  con- 
sequently languishing.  M.  Kahn  had  some  hopes,  too,  that 
he  would  be  able  to  get  some  very  profitable  pickings  out  of 
the  affair,  and  so  he  had  greatly  exerted  himself  in  order  to 
obtain  the  grant.  Eougon  had  supported  him  energetically, 
and  the  grant  had  almost  been  secured  when  M.  de  Marsy, 
the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  vexed  at  having  no  share  in  the 
affair,  which  he  guessed  would  afford  a  superb  opportunity 
for  jobbery,  and  being  also  very  desirous  of  doing  anything 
that  might  annoy  Rougon,  had  used  all  his  influence  to  oppose 
the  scheme.  With  that  audacity  of  his  which  made  him  such 
a  terrible  opponent,  he  had  even  just  persuaded  the  Minister 
of  Public  Works  to  offer  the  grant  to  the  Western  Railway 
Company,  besides  circulating  a  statement  that  this  company 
alone  could  successfully  carry  out  the  branch  line,  for  the 
satisfactory  working  of  which  some  substantial  guarantee  was 
required.     Thus  M.  Kahn  seemed  in  great  danger  of  losing 


RESIGNATION  29 

all  the  advantages  he  had  hoped  to  gain,  and  Kougon's  fall 
appeared  likely  to  involve  him  in  ruin. 

'  I  heard  yesterday,'  said  he,  '  that  one  of  the  company's 
engineers  had  been  instructed  to  make  a  survey  for  the  new 
line.     Have  you  heard  anything  of  it,  Du  Poizat  ?  ' 

'  Yes,  indeed,'  replied  the  sub-prefect.  '  The  survey  has 
already  commenced.  They  are  trying  to  avoid  the  detour 
■which  you  were  planning  in  order  to  make  the  line  touch 
Bressuire,  and  propose  to  carry  it  straight  along  past  Par- 
thenay  and  Thouars.' 

A  gesture  of  discouragement  escaped  the  deputy.  '  It  is 
sheer  persecution  !  '  he  exclaimed.  '  What  harm  could  it 
do  them  to  let  the  line  pass  my  place  ?  But  I  will  protest 
and  write  against  their  plan.  I  will  go  back  with  you  to 
Bressuire.' 

'  No,  no ;  you  had  better  not  wait  for  me,'  said  Du  Poizat 
with  a  smile.     '  It  seems  that  I  have  got  to  resign.' 

M.  Kahn  fell  back  in  his  chair,  as  though  overcome  by  a 
final  catastrophe.  He  rubbed  his  beard  with  both  hands  and 
looked  at  Eougon  with  an  air  of  entreaty.  The  latter  had 
ceased  to  examine  his  papers,  and  was  leaning  on  his  elbows 
and  listening. 

'  I  suppose,'  he  said,  somewhat  roughly,  '  that  you  want 
my  advice  ?  Well,  then,  my  good  friends,  just  remam  quiet 
and  try  to  keep  things  as  they  are  until  we  get  the  upper 
hand.  Du  Poizat  is  going  to  resign,  because,  if  he  didn't,  he 
would  be  dismissed  within  a  fortnight.  As  for  you,  Kahn, 
you  had  better  write  to  the  Emperor  and  use  all  available 
means  to  prevent  the  grant  being  obtained  by  the  Western 
Railway  Company.  You  won't  get  it  for  yourself  at  present, 
but  as  long  as  it  is  not  given  to  any  one  else,  there  is  a 
chance  of  your  winning  it  later  on.'  Then,  as  the  two  men 
nodded,  he  continued  :  '  Well,  that's  all  I  can  do  for  you.  I 
am  down  and  you  must  give  me  time  to  pick  myself  up  again. 
You  don't  see  me  going  about  with  a  woe-begone  face,  do 
you  ?  Well,  I  should  be  much  obhged  if  you  wouldn't  look 
as  though  you  were  attending  my  funeral.  For  my  part,  I 
am  delighted  at  retiring  into  private  life  again.  I  shall  at 
last  be  able  to  take  a  little  rest.' 

He  heaved  a  deep  sigh,  crossed  his  arms,  and  rocked  his 
huge  frame  backwards  and  forwards.  M.  Kahn  said  nothing 
more  about  his  scheme,  but  tried  to  imitate  Du  Poizat  and 
appear  perfectly  indifferent,      Delestang   had  opened   some 


30  IIIS  EXCELLENCY 

more  pasteboard  boxes,  and  worked  away  so  quietly  bebind 
the  cbairri  that  the  slight  rustling  noise  which  he  made  every 
now  and  then  might  have  been  attributed  to  a  troop  of  mice 
flitting  across  the  papers.  Mearjtime  the  sunlight  was  travel- 
ling over  the  crimson  carpet  and  lighting  up  a  corner  of  the 
writing-table,  paling  the  flame  of  the  candle  which  was  still 
burning  there. 

A  friendly  conversation  sprang  up  amongst  the  men. 
Eougon,  who  was  tying  up  some  more  bundles  of  papers, 
declared  that  he  was  really  not  cut  out  for  politics,  and  smiled 
good-naturedly  as  his  heavy  eyelids  drooped,  as  though  with 
weariness,  over  his  glistening  eyes.  He  would  have  liked,  he 
said,  to  have  a  large  estate  to  cultivate,  fields  which  he  could 
dig  up  at  his  pleasure,  and  flocks  of  animals,  horses,  cattle, 
sheep,  and  dogs,  of  which  he  would  be  the  one  absolute 
monarch.  He  told  them  that  in  former  days,  when  only  a 
country  lawyer  at  Plassans,  his  great  pleasure  had  consisted 
in  setting  off  in  a  blouse  on  a  shooting  expedition  of  several 
days  through  the  ravines  of  La  Seille,  where  he  shot  eagles. 
He  said  that  he  was  a  peasant ;  his  grandfather  had  dug  the 
soil.  Then  he  assumed  the  air  of  a  man  disgusted  with  the 
world.  PoAver  had  grown  wearisome  to  him,  and  he  meant 
to  spend  the  summer  in  the  country.  He  declared  that  he 
had  never  felt  so  light-hearted  as  he  did  that  morning,  and 
he  gave  a  mighty  shrug  of  his  strong  shoulders  as  though  he 
had  just  thrown  off  some  heavy  burden. 

'  How  much  did  you  get  here  as  President  ? '  asked 
M.  Kahn  ;  '  eighty  thousand  francs  ?  ' 

Eougon  nodded  assent. 

'  And  now  you'll  only  have  your  thirty  thousand  as  a 
senator.' 

However,  Eougon  exclaimed  that  this  change  would  not 
affect  him  at  all.  He  could  live  upon  next  to  nothing  and 
indulged  in  no  vices  ;  which  was  perfectly  true.  He  was 
neither  a  gambler,  nor  a  glutton,  nor  a  loose  liver.  His  whole 
ambition,  he  declared,  was  lo  be  his  own  master.  Then  he 
reverted  to  his  idea  of  a  farm,  where  he  would  be  king  of  all 
sorts  of  animals.  His  ideal  life  was  to  wield  a  whip  and  be 
paramount  ;  to  be  the  master,  chief  both  in  intelligence  and 
power.  Gradually  he  grew  animated  and  talked  of  animals 
as  though  they  had  been  men,  declaring  that  the  mob  liked 
to  be  driven,  and  that  shepherds  directed  their  flocks  by 
pelting  them  with  stones,     His  face  seemed  transfigured,  his 


RESIGNATION  31 

thick  lips  protruded  scornfully,  while  his  whole  expression 
was  iiistinct  with  strength  and  power.  While  he  spoke  he 
brandished  a  bundle  of  papers  in  his  clenched  fist,  and  it 
seemed  every  now  and  then  as  though  he  were  going  to  throw 
it  at  the  heads  of  M.  Kahn  and  Du  Poizat,  who  watched  his 
sudden  outburst  of  excitement  with  uneasy  anxiety. 

'The  Emperor  has  behaved  very  badly,'  at  last  muttered 
Du  Poizat. 

Then  Eougon  all  at  once  became  quite  calm  again.  His 
face  turned  loamy  and  his  body  seemed  to  grow  flabby  and 
obese.  He  began  to  sound  the  Emperor's  praises  in  an 
exaggerated  fashion.  Napoleon  III.  was  a  man  of  mighty 
intelligence,  he  declared,  with  a  mind  of  astonishing  depth. 
Du  Poizat  and  Kahn  exchanged  a  meaning  look.  But 
Eougon  waxed  still  more  lavish  of  his  praises,  and,  speaking 
of  his  devotion  to  his  master,  declared  with  great  humility 
that  he  had  always  been  proud  of  being  a  mere  instrument 
in  the  Emperor's  hands.  He  talked  on  in  this  strain  till  he 
made  Du  Poizat,  who  was  of  a  somewhat  irritable  nature, 
quite  impatient,  and  they  began  to  wrangle.  The  sub- prefect 
spoke  with  considerable  bitterness  of  all  that  Eougon  and  he 
had  done  for  the  Empire  between  1848  and  1851,  when  they 
were  lodging  with  Madame  Correur  in  a  condition  of  semi- 
starvation.  He  referred  to  the  terrible  days,  especially  those 
of  the  first  year,  when  they  had  gone  splashing  through  the 
mud  of  Paris,  recruiting  partisans  for  the  Emperor's  cause. 
Later  on  they  had  risked  their  skins  a  score  of  times.  And 
wasn't  it  Eougon  who  on  the  morning  of  the  second  of 
December  had  taken  possession  of  the  Palais  Bourbon  at  the 
head  of  a  regiment  of  the  line  ?  That  was  a  game  at  which 
men  staked  their  lives  !  Yet  now  to-day  he  was  being  sacri- 
ficed and  made  the  victim  of  a  court  intrigue.  Eougon, 
however,  protested  against  this  assertion.  He  was  not  being 
sacrificed — he  was  resigning  for  private  reasons.  And  as 
Du  Poizat,  now  fully  wound  up,  began  to  call  the  folks  of  the 
Tuileries  a  set  of  '  pigs,'  he  ended  by  reducing  him  to  silence 
by  bringing  his  fist  down  upon  the  rosewood  writing-table 
with  a  force  which  made  it  creak. 

'  That  is  all  nonsense  !  '  he  said. 

'  You  are,  indeed,  going  rather  far,'  remarked  M.  Kahn. 

Delestang  was  standing  behind  the  chairs  looking  very 
pale.  He  opened  the  door  gently  to  see  if  any  one  were 
listening,    but    there    was    nobody    in    the    ante -chamber 


32  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

excepting  Merle,  whose  back  was  turned  with  an  appearance 
of  great  discretion.  Eougon's  observation  had  made 
Du  Poizat  blush,  and  quickly  cooling  down  he  chewed  his 
cigar  in  silent  displeasure. 

'  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Emperor  is  surrounded  by 
injudicious  advisers,'  Eougon  resumed  after  a  pause.  '  I 
ventured  to  tell  him  as  much,  and  he  smiled.  He  even  con- 
descended to  jest  about  it,  and  told  me  that  my  own  entourage 
was  no  better  than  his  own.' 

Du  Poizat  and  Kahn  laughed  in  a  constrained  fashion. 
They  thought  the  reply  a  very  good  one. 

'  But,'  continued  Rougon  in  meaning  tones,  '  I  repeat 
that  I  am  retiring  of  my  own  free  will.  If  any  one  questions 
you,  who  are  my  friends,  on  the  matter,  you  can  say  that 
yesterday  evening  I  was  quite  at  liberty  to  withdraw  my 
resignation.  You  can  contradict,  too,  the  tittle-tattle  which 
is  being  circulated  about  Ptodriguez's  affair,  out  of  which 
people  seem  to  be  making  a  perfect  romance.  On  this 
subject  no  doubt  I  disagreed  with  the  majority  of  the 
Council  of  State,  and  there  has  certainly  been  a  deal  of 
friction  in  the  matter  which  has  hastened  my  retirement. 
But  I  had  weightier  and  earlier  reasons  than  that.  For  a 
long  time  past  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  resign  the  high 
position  which  I  owed  to  the  Emperor's  kindness.' 

He  punctuated  this  speech  with  the  gesture  of  the  right 
hand,  in  which  he  constantly  indulged  when  addressing  the 
Chamber.  He  evidently  wished  that  what  he  was  saying 
might  be  made  public.  M.  Kahn  and  Du  Poizat,  who  knew 
very  well  the  kind  of  individual  they  had  to  deal  with,  tried 
all  kinds  of  stratagems  to  get  at  the  real  truth.  They  felt 
quite  sure  that  '  the  great  man,'  as  they  familiarly  called  him 
be^iveen  themselves,  had  some  formidable  scheme  in  his 
htdd.  So  they  turned  the  conversation  on  general  politics. 
Rougon  then  began  to  scoff  at  the  parliamentary  system, 
which  he  called  '  the  dunghill  of  mediocrity.'  The  Chamber, 
he  declared,  enjoyed  quite  an  absurd  amount  of  liberty  even 
now,  and  indulged  in  far  too  much  talk.  France  required 
governing,  he  said,  by  a  suitably  devised  machine,  with  the 
Emperor  at  the  head,  and  the  great  state-bodies,  reduced  to 
the  position  of  mere  working  gear,  below.  He  laughed,  and 
his  huge  chest  heaved,  as  he  carried  his  theory  to  the  point 
of  exaggeration,  displaying  the  while  a  scornful  contempt  for 
the  imbeciles  who  demanded  powerful  rule. 


RESIGNATION  33 

'But,'  interposed  M.  Kalin,  'with  the  Emperor  at  the 
top,  and  everybody  else  at  the  bottom,  matters  cannot  be 
very  pleasant  for  any  one  except  the  Emperor,' 

'  Those  who  feel  bored  can  take  themselves  off,'  Rougon 
quietly  replied.  He  smiled,  and  then  added  :  '  They  can  wait 
till  things  become  amusing,  and  then  they  can  come  back.' 

A  long  interval  of  silence  followed.  M.  Kahn  began  to 
stroke  his  beard  contentedly.  He  had  found  out  what  he 
wanted  to  knoAV.  He  had  made  a  correct  guess  at  the 
Chamber  on  the  previous  afternoon  when  he  had  insinuated 
that  Rougon,  finding  his  influence  at  the  Tuileries  seriously 
shaken,  had  taken  time  by  the  forelock  and  resigned. 
Rodriguez's  business  had  afforded  him  a  splendid  opportunity 
for  honourable  withdrawal. 

'  And  what  are  people  saying  ?  '  Rougon  at  last  inquired 
in  order  to  break  the  silence. 

'Well,  I've  only  just  got  here,'  said  Du  Poizat,  'but  a 
little  while  ago  I  heard  a  gentleman  who  wore  a  decoration 
declaring  in  a  cafe  that  he  strongly  approved  of  your  re- 
tirement.' 

'  Bejuin  was  very  much  affected  about  it  yesterday,' 
added  M.  Kahn.  '  Bejuin  is  much  attached  to  you.  He's 
rather  slow,  but  he's  very  genuine.  Little  La  Rouquette, 
too,  spoke  very  properly,  and  referred  to  you  in  the  kindest 
terms.' 

Other  names  were  mentioned  as  the  conversation  con- 
tinued. Rougon  asked  direct  questions,  without  showing  the 
least  embarrassment,  and  extracted  full  particulars  from  the 
deputy,  who  complaisantly  gave  him  an  exact  account  of  the 
demeanour  of  the  Corps  Legislatif  towards  him. 

'  This  afternoon,'  interrupted  Du  Poizat,  who  felt  some- 
what annoyed  at  having  no  information  to  impart,  '  I  will 
take  a  ramble  through  Paris,  and  to-morrow  morning,  as 
soon  as  I'm  out  of  bed,  I  will  come  and  tell  you  all  I  have 
heard.' 

'  By  the  way,'  cried  M.  Kahn,  with  a  laugh,  '  I  forgot  to 
tell  you  about  Combelot.  I  never  saw  a  man  in  greater 
embarrassment.' 

He  stopped  short  on  seeing  Rougon  glance  warningly 
towards  Delestang,  who,  with  his  back  turned  towards  them, 
was  at  that  moment  standing  on  a  chair  removing  an  accu- 
mulation of  newspapers  which  had  been  stored  away  atop  of 
a  bookcase.     M.  de  Combelot  had  married  one  of  Delestang's 

D 


34  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

sisters.  Delestang  himself,  since  Kougon  had  fallen  into 
disfavour,  had  felt  a  little  down-hearted  on  account  of  his 
relationship  with  a  chamberlain  ;  and  so,  wishing  to  affect 
independence,  he  turned  and  said  with  a  smile :  '  Why  don't 
you  go  on  ?  Combelot  is  an  ass.  That's  the  long  and  short 
of  it,  eh  ?  ' 

This  ready  condemnation  of  his  brother-in-law  afforded 
the  others  much  amusement,  and  Delestang,  noticing  his 
success,  continued  his  attack  even  to  the  extent  of  falling  foul 
of  Combelot's  beard,  that  famous  black  beard  which  had  such 
a  reputation  among  the  ladies.  Then,  as  he  threw  a  bundle 
of  newspapers  on  to  the  floor,  he  said  abruptly :  '  What  is  a 
source  of  sorrow  to  some  is  a  source  of  joy  to  others.' 

This  truism  led  to  M.  de  Marsy's  name  being  introduced 
into  the  conversation.  Kougon  bent  his  head  and  devoted 
himself  to  a  searching  examination  of  a  portfolio,  leaving  his 
friends  to  ease  their  minds.  They  spoke  of  Marsy  with  all 
the  rageful  hostility  which  politicians  show  for  an  adversary. 
They  revelled  in  the  strongest  language,  bringing  all  kinds  of 
abominable  accusations  against  him,  and  so  grossly  exagge- 
rating such  stories  which  had  a  foundation  of  truth  that  they 
became  mere  lies.  Du  Poizat,  who  had  known  Marsy  in 
former  days,  before  the  Empire,  declared  that  he  was  kept  at 
that  time  by  a  baroness  whose  diamonds  he  had  exhausted  in 
three  months.  M.  Kahn  asserted  that  there  was  not  a  single 
shady  affair  started  in  any  part  of  Paris  without  Marsy  having 
a  hand  in  it.  They  encouraged  each  other  in  charges  of  this 
kind,  and  went  on  from  worse  to  worse.  In  a  mining  affair 
Marsy  had  received  a  bribe  of  fifteen  hundred  thousand 
francs  ;  during  the  previous  month  he  had  offered  a  furnished 
house  to  little  Florence  of  the  Bouffes  Theatre,  a  trifle  for 
which  he  had  paid  six  hundred  thousand  francs,  his  share  of 
the  profits  of  a  speculation  in  Morocco  railway  stock  ;  finally, 
not  a  week  ago,  a  grand  scheme  for  constructing  canals  in 
Egypt,  which  had  been  got  up  by  certain  tools  of  his,  had 
scandalously  collapsed,  the  shareholders  discovering  that  not 
a  single  shovelful  of  earth  had  been  turned,  although  they 
had  been  paying  out  money  for  a  couple  of  years  or  so.  Then, 
too,  they  fell  foul  of  Marsy's  physical  appearance,  tried  to 
depreciate  his  good  looks,  and  even  attacked  the  collection  of 
pictures  which  he  was  getting  together. 

'  He's  a  brigand  in  the  skin  of  a  vaudevillist,'  Du  Poizat 
ended  by  exclaiming. 


RESIGN  A  TION  3  5 

Eougon  slowly  raised  his  head  and  fixed  his  big  eyes  on 
the  two  men.  '  You  are  going  it  well,'  he  said.  *  Marsy 
manages  his  affairs  in  his  own  way,  as  you  manage  yours  in 
your  way.  As  regards  myself  and  him,  we  don't  get  on  well 
together,  and  if  ever  I  have  a  chance  to  crush  him  I  shall 
avail  myself  of  it  without  hesitation.  But  all  that  you  have 
been  saying  doesn't  prevent  Marsy  from  being  a  very  clever 
fellow,  and,  if  ever  the  whim  takes  him,  he  will  only  make  a 
mouthful  of  you  two,  I  warn  you  of  it.' 

Then  Rougon,  tired  of  sitting,  rose  and  stretched  himself. 
He  gave  a  great  yawn,  as  he  added :  'And  he  will  do  it  all  the 
more  easily,  my  friends,  now  that  I  shall  no  longer  be  in  a 
position  to  interfere.' 

'  Oh,  you  can  lead  Marsy  a  pretty  dance  if  you  like,'  said 
Du  Poizat,  with  a  faint  smile.  '  You  have  some  papers  here 
which  he  would  be  glad  to  pay  a  big  price  for.  Those  yonder, 
I  mean,  the  papers  in  the  Lardenois  matter,  in  which  he 
played  such  a  singular  part.  There's  a  very  curious  letter 
from  him  among  them,  which  I  recognise  as  one  that  I 
brought  you  myself  at  the  time.' 

Rougon  went  up  to  the  grate  in  order  to  throw  the  papers 
with  which  he  had  gradually  filled  his  basket  into  the  fire. 
The  bronze  vase  was  no  longer  large  enough.  '  We  must  deal 
a  stunning  blow,  and  not  give  a  mere  scratch,'  he  replied, 
shrugging  his  shoulders  disdainfully.  '  Every  one  has  foolish 
letters  astray  in  the  possession  of  other  people.' 

He  then  lighted  the  letter  just  spoken  of  at  the  candle, 
and  used  it  to  set  fire  to  the  heap  of  papers  in  the  grate.  He 
remained  squatting  for  a  moment,  whilst  watching  the  blaz- 
ing pile.  Some  thick  official  documents  turned  black,  and 
twisted  about  like  sheets  of  lead  ;  the  letters  and  memoranda, 
scrawled  over  with  handwriting,  threw  up  little  tongues  of 
bluish  flame,  while  inside  the  grate,  amidst  a  swarm  of 
sparks,  half-consumed  fragments  still  remained  quite  legible. 

At  this  moment  the  door  was  thrown  wide  open,  and  a 
laughing  voice  was  heard  exclaiming  :  '  All  right !  I  wall 
excuse  you.  Merle.  I  belong  to  the  house,  and  if  you  don't 
let  me  come  in  this  way,  I  shall  go  round  by  the  Council 
Chamber.' 

It  was  M.  d'Escorailles,  for  whom  some  six  months  pre- 
viously Rougon  had  obtained  an  appointment  as  auditor  at 
the   Council  of  State.     On   his   arm  hmig  pretty  Madame 

i>2 


36  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

Bouchard,  looking  delightfully  fresh  in  a  bright  spring 
toilette. 

'  Good  heavens ! '  muttered  Kougon,  '  we've  got  women 
here  now.' 

He  did  not  immediately  leave  his  place  by  the  grate,  but 
still  stooping,  grasping  the  shovel,  and  pressing  down  the 
blazing  papers  so  as  to  guard  against  an  accident,  he  raised 
his  big  face  with  an  air  of  displeasure.  M.  d'Escorailles, 
however,  appeared  in  no  way  disconcerted.  When  he  and  the 
young  woman  had  crossed  the  threshold,  they  ceased  to  smile, 
and  assumed  an  expression  more  suited  to  the  circumstances. 

'  My  dear  master,'  said  Escorailles,  '  I  bring  a  friend  of 
yours,  who  insists  upon  coming  to  express  her  sorrow.  We 
have  seen  the  Monitcur  this  morning ' 

'  Oh,  you  have  seen  the  Monitetir,  too,'  muttered  Rougon, 
at  last  rising  erect.  Then  he  caught  sight  of  some  one  whom 
he  had  not  previously  noticed.  '  Ah,  Monsieur  Bouchard 
also  ! '  he  exclaimed,  blinking. 

It  was,  indeed,  the  husband  who,  silent  and  dignified,  had 
just  entered  the  room  in  the  wake  of  his  wife's  skirts.  M.  Bou- 
chard was  sixty  years  old  :  his  hair  was  quite  white,  his  eyes 
were  dim,  and  his  face  was  worn  by  twenty-five  years  of 
official  labour.  He  did  not  say  a  single  word,  but  took 
Eougon's  hand  with  an  appearance  of  emotion,  and  gave  it 
three  vigorous  shakes. 

'  It  is  really  very  kind  of  you  all  to  come  and  see  me,'  said 
Rougon,  '  only  you  will  be  terribly  in  my  way.  However, 
come  here,  will  you  ?  Du  Poizat,  give  Madame  Bouchard 
your  chair.' 

He  turned  as  he  spoke,  and  then  saw  Colonel  Jobelin 
standing  in  front  of  him.  'What!  are  you  here  as  well, 
colonel  ?  '  he  cried. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  door  had  been  left  open,  and 
Merle  had  been  unable  to  stop  the  colonel,  who  had  come  up 
the  staircase  immediately  behind  the  Bouchards.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  son,  a  tall  lad  of  fifteen,  a  pupil  at  the 
Louis-le-Grand  College.  '  I  wanted  Auguste  to  see  you,'  he 
said.  '  It  is  misfortune  that  reveals  true  friends.  Auguste, 
go  and  give  your  hand ' 

Rougon,  however,  had  sprung  towards  the  ante- room, 
crying :  '  Hhut  the  door,  Merle !  What  are  you  thinking 
about  ?     We  shall  have  all  Paris  in  here  directly  ! ' 


RESIGNATION  37 

With  calm  face  the  usher  replied  :  '  It's  all  because  they 
caught  sight  of  you,  Monsieur  le  President.' 

Even  as  he  spoke,  he  was  obliged  to  step  back  close  to 
the  wall,  in  order  to  allow  the  Charbonnels  to  pass.  They 
came  into  the  room  abreast,  but  not  arm-in-arm.  They  were 
out  of  breath,  and  looked  disconsolate  and  amazed  ;  and  they 
both  began  to  speak  at  once.  '  We  have  just  seen  the 
Moniteur !  What  dreadful  news !  How  distressed  your 
poor  mother  will  be  !  And  what  a  sad  position,  too,  it  puts 
us  in  ourselves  !  ' 

More  guileless  than  the  others,  the  Charbonnels  were 
about  to  enter  upon  their  own  little  affairs  at  once,  but 
Rougon  stopped  them.  He  shot  a  bolt,  hidden  beneath  the 
door  lock,  and  remarked  that  if  any  people  wanted  to  come  in 
now,  they  would  have  to  break  the  door  open.  Then,  observ- 
ing that  none  of  his  visitors  showed  signs  of  leaving,  he 
resigned  himself,  and  tried  to  finish  his  task  in  the  midst  of 
these  nine  people  who  were  crowding  his  room.  The  whole 
place  was  now  in  a  state  of  chaotic  confusion,  there  being  such 
a  litter  of  portfolios  and  papers  on  the  floor  that  when  the 
colonel  and  M.  Bouchard  wanted  to  reach  a  window-recess, 
they  had  to  exercise  the  greatest  care  in  order  to  avoid 
trampling  upon  some  important  document.  All  the  chairs 
were  covered  with  bundles  of  papers,  excepting  the  one  on 
which  Madame  Bouchard  was  now  seated.  She  was  smiling 
at  the  gallant  speeches  of  Du  Poizat  and  M.  Kahn ;  while 
M.  d'Escorailles,  unable  to  find  a  hassock,  pushed  a  thick  blue 
portfolio,  stufled  with  letters,  under  her  feet.  The  drawers 
of  the  writing-table,  which  had  been  pushed  into  a  corner  of 
the  room,  afforded  the  Charbonnels  a  temporary  seat  where 
they  could  recover  their  breath,  while  young  Auguste, 
delighted  at  finding  himself  in  the  bustle  of  a  removal,  poked 
about  till  he  disappeai-ed  behind  the  mountain  of  pasteboard 
boxes,  amid  which  Delestang  had  previously  entrenched  him- 
self. As  the  latter  threw  down  the  newspapers  from  the  top 
of  the  bookcase,  he  raised  considerable  dust,  which  made 
Madame  Bouchard  cough  slightly. 

'  I  don't  advise  you  to  stay  here  amidst  all  this  dirt,'  said 
Rougon,  who  was  now  emptying  the  boxes  which  he  had 
asked  Delestang  to  leave  unexamined. 

The  young  woman,  however,  quite  rosy  from  her  fit  of 
coughing,  assured  him  that  she  was  very  comfortable,  and 
that   the  dust  would  not  harm  her  bonnet.     Then  all  the 


38  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

visitors  poured  forth  their  condolences.  The  Emperor,  they 
declared,  must  care  very  little  about  the  real  interests  of  the 
country  to  allow  himself  to  be  influenced  by  men  so  unworthy 
of  his  confidence.  France  was  suffering  a  great  loss.  But  it 
was  ever  thus,  they  said ;  a  man  of  high  intelligence  always 
had  every  mediocrity  leagued  against  him. 

'  Governments  liave  no  gratitude,'  declared  M.  Kahn. 

'  So  much  the  worse  for  them !  '  exclaimed  the  colonel ; 
'  they  strike  themselves  when  they  strike  those  who  serve 
them.' 

However,  M.  Kahn  was  desirous  of  having  the  last  word 
on  the  subject,  so  he  turned  to  Rougon,  and  said  :  '  When  a 
man  like  you  falls,  it  is  a  subject  for  public  mourning.' 

This  met  with  the  approval  of  all.  '  Yes,  yes,'  they 
exclaimed,  '  for  public  mourning,  indeed  ! ' 

Rougon  raised  his  head  upon  hearing  this  fulsome  praise. 
His  greyish  cheeks  flushed  slightly,  and  his  whole  face  was 
irradiated  by  a  suppressed  smile  of  satisfaction.  He  was  as 
proud  of  his  ability  as  a  woman  is  of  her  beauty,  and  he  liked 
to  receive  point-blank  compliments.  It  was  becoming  evident, 
however,  that  his  visitors  were  in  each  other's  way.  They 
repeatedly  glanced  at  one  another,  resolving  to  sit  one  another 
out,  unwilling  as  they  were  to  say  all  they  desired  in  the 
presence  of  their  companions.  Now  that  the  great  man  had 
fallen,  they  were  anxious  to  know  if  he  had  done  anything  for 
them  while  he  yet  had  the  power.  The  colonel  was  the  first 
to  take  an  active  step.  He  led  Rougon,  who,  with  a  portfolio 
under  his  arm,  readily  followed  him,  into  one  of  the  window- 
recesses. 

'  Have  you  given  me  a  thought  ? '  he  asked  with  a 
pleasant  smile. 

'  Yes,  indeed.  Your  nomination  as  commander  of  the 
Legion  of  Honour  was  again  promised  me  four  days  ago. 
But,  of  course,  to-day  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  say  anything 
with  certainty.  I  confess  to  you  that  I  am  afraid  my  friends 
will  be  made  to  sutler  by  my  fall.' 

The  colonel's  lips  trembled  with  emotion.  He  stammered 
that  they  must  do  what  they  could,  and  then,  turning  suddenly 
round,  he  called  out :  '  Auguste  !  ' 

The  lad  was  on  his  hands  and  knees  underneath  the  desk, 
trying  to  decipher  the  inscriptions  on  the  batches  of  documents. 
However,  he  hastened  to  his  father. 

'  Here's  this  lad  of  mine,'  resumed  the  colonel  in  an  under- 


RESIGNATION  39 

tone.  '  I  shall  have  to  find  a  berth  for  the  young  scamp  one 
of  these  days.  I  am  counting  upon  j'ou  to  help  me.  I 
haven't  made  up  my  mind  yet  between  the  law  and  the  public 
semce.  Give  your  good  friend  your  hand,  Auguste,  so  that 
he  may  recollect  you.' 

While  this  scene  was  going  on,  Madame  Bouchard,  who 
had  begun  to  bite  her  gloves  impatiently,  had  risen  from  her 
chair  and  made  her  way  to  the  window  on  the  left,  after 
giving  M.  d'Escorailles  a  look  which  meant  that  he  was  to 
follow  her.  Her  husband  was  already  there,  leaning  upon 
the  cross-bar  and  gazing  out  upon  the  view.  The  leaves  of 
the  tall  chestnut  trees  in  the  Tuileries  Garden  were  languidly 
waving  in  the  warm  sunshine,  and  the  Seine  could  be  seen 
rolling  blue  waters,  flecked  with  golden  light,  between  the 
Eoyal  and  Concorde  bridges. 

Madame  Bouchard  suddenly  turned  round  and  exclaimed  : 
*0h  !  Monsieur  Eougon,  come  and  look  here.' 

Thereupon  Eougon  hastily  quitted  the  colonel,  while  Du 
Poizat,  who  had  followed  the  young  woman,  discreetly  retired, 
again  joining  M.  Kahn  at  the  middle  window. 

'  Do  you  see  that  barge  full  of  bricks  '?  It  nearly  foundered 
just  now,'  said  Madame  Bouchard. 

Eougon  looked  and  obligingly  lingered  there  in  the  sun- 
shine till  M.  d'Escorailles,  upon  a  fresh  glance  from  the  young 
woman,  said  to  him  :  '  Monsieur  Boiichard  wants  to  send  in 
his  resignation.  We  have  brought  him  here  in  order  that 
you  may  try  to  dissuade  him.' 

M.  Bouchard  then  explained  that  he  could  not  endure 
injustice.  'Yes,  Monsieur  Eougon,' he  continued,'!  began 
as  a  copying-clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Minister  of  the  Interior, 
and  reached  the  position  of  head  clerk  without  owing  either 
to  favour  or  intrigue.  I  have  been  head  clerk  since  1847. 
Well,  the  post  of  head  of  department  has  been  vacant  five 
times — four  times  under  the  Eepublic  and  once  under  the 
Empire — and  yet  the  Minister  has  not  once  thought  of  me, 
though  I  had  hierarchical  rights  to  the  place.  Now  that  you 
will  no  longer  be  able  to  fulfil  the  promise  you  gave  me  I 
think  I  had  better  retire.' 

Eougon  tried  to  soothe  him.  The  post,  said  he,  had  not 
yet  been  bestowed  upon  any  one  else,  and  even  if  he  did  not 
get  it  this  time,  it  would  only  be  a  chance  lost ;  a  chance 
which  would  certainly  present  itself  again  on  some  future 
occasion.     Then  he  grasped  Madame  Bouchard's  hands  and 


40  ins  EXCELLENCY 

complimented  her  in  a  paternal  fashion.  Her  husband's 
house  had  been  the  first  thrown  open  to  him  on  his  arrival  in 
Paris,  and  it  was  there  that  he  had  met  the  colonel,  who  was 
the  head  clerk's  cousin.  Later  on,  when  M.  Bouchard  had 
inherited  his  father's  property  and  had  been  smitten,  at  fifty- 
four  years  of  age,  with  a  sudden  desire  to  get  married,  Eougon 
had  acted  as  witness  on  behalf  of  Madame  Bouchard,  then 
Adele  Desvignes,  a  well  brought  up  j'oung  lady  of  a  respect- 
able family  at  Rambouillet.  The  head  clerk  had  been  anxious 
to  marry  a  young  lady  from  the  provinces,  because  he  made  a 
point  of  having  a  steady  wdfe.  However,  the  fair  and  adorable 
little  Ad6le,  with  her  innocent  blue  eyes,  had  in  less  than  four 
years  proved  to  be  a  great  deal  worse  than  a  mere  flirt. 

'  There,  now,  don't  distress  yourself,'  said  Eougon,  who 
was  still  holding  her  hands  in  his  big  fists.  '  You  know  very 
well  that  I  will  do  my  best  for  you.' 

Then  he  took  M.  d'Escorailles  aside,  and  told  him  that  he 
had  written  that  morning  to  his  father  to  tranquillise  him. 
The  young  auditor  must  remain  quietly  in  his  place.  The 
Escorailles  family  was  one  of  the  oldest  in  Plassans,  where  it 
was  treated  with  the  utmost  respect ;  and  Eougon,  who  in 
former  days  had  often  dragged  his  worn-down  boots  past  the 
old  Marquis's  house,  took  a  pride  in  protecting  and  assisting 
the  young  man.  The  family  retained  an  enthusiastic  devotion 
for  Henri  V.,  though  it  allowed  its  heir  to  serve  the  Empire. 
This  was  one  of  the  inevitable  consequences  of  the  wickedness 
of  the  times. 

Meanwhile,  at  the  middle  window,  which  they  had  opened 
to  obtain  greater  privacy,  Kahn  and  Du  Poizat  were  talking 
together,  while  gazing  out  upon  the  distant  roofs  of  the 
Tuileries,  which  looked  blue  in  the  haze  of  the  sunlight. 
They  were  sounding  each  other,  dropping  a  few  words,  and 
then  lapsing  into  intervals  of  silence.  Eougon,  they  agreed, 
was  too  impulsive.  He  ought  not  to  have  allowed  himself  to 
be  irritated  by  that  Eodriguez  question,  which  might  have  been 
very  easily  settled.  Then  JM.  Kahn,  gazing  blankly  into  the 
distance,  murmured  as  though  he  were  speaking  to  himself  : 
'  A  man  knows  when  he  falls,  but  never  knows  whether  he 
will  rise  again.' 

Du  Poizat  pretended  not  to  hear ;  but,  after  a  long  pause, 
he  said  :  '  Oh  !  he's  a  very  clever  fellow.' 

Then  the  deputy  abruptly  turned,  and,  looking  the  sub- 
prefect  full  in  the  face,  spoke  to  him  very  rapidly :  '  Between 


RESIGNATION  41 

ourselves,  I  am  afraid  for  him.  He  plays  with  fire.  We  are 
his  friends,  of  course,  and  there  can  be  no  thought  of  our 
abandoning  him.  But  I  must  say  that  he  has  thought  very 
little  about  us  in  tliis  matter.  Take  my  own  case,  for 
instance.  I  have  matters  of  enormous  importance  on  my 
hands,  and  he  has  placed  them  in  utter  jeopardy  by  this 
sudden  freak  of  his.  He  would  have  no  rigbt  to  complain  — 
would  he,  now  ? — if  I  were  to  knock  at  somebody  else's  door  ; 
for,  you  know,  it  is  not  I  alone  who  suft'er,  there  are  all  the 
townsfolk  as  well.' 

'  Yes,  well,  go  and  knock  at  some  other  door,'  said  Du 
Poizat,  with  a  smile. 

At  this  the  deputy,  in  a  sudden  outburst  of  anger,  let  the 
truth  escape  him.  '  But  is  it  possible '?  This  confounded 
fellow  spoils  you  with  everybody  else.  When  you  belong  to 
his  band,  every  one  else  fights  shy  of  you.' 

Then  he  calmed  down,  sighed,  and  looked  out  towards  the 
Arc  de  Triomphe,  which  could  be  seen  rising  in  a  greyish 
mass  out  of  the  green  expanse  of  the  Champs  Elysees.  '  Well, 
well,'  he  continued  softly,  '  I'm  as  faithful  as  a  dog  myself.' 

For  the  last  moment  or  two  the  colonel  had  been  stand- 
ing behind  the  two  men.  '  Fidelity  is  the  road  to  honour,' 
said  he  in  his  military  voice.  Then,  as  Du  Poizat  and  Kabn 
made  room  for  him,  he  added  :  '  Eougon  is  contracting  a  debt 
to  us  to-day.     Rougon  no  longer  belongs  to  himself.' 

This  remark  met  with  the  warmest  approval.  It  was  cer- 
tainly quite  true  that  Rougon  no  longer  belonged  to  himself. 
Wbat  was  more,  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  be  distinctly 
told  so  in  order  that  he  might  know  what  it  behoved  him  to 
do.  Then  the  three  friends  chatted  in  whispers,  forming  plans 
and  fortifying  each  other  with  hope.  At  intervals  they  turned 
and  cast  a  glance  into  the  big  room  to  make  sure  that  no  one 
was  monopolising  the  great  man  for  too  long  a  time. 

The  great  man  was  now  gathering  up  the  portfolios,  while 
still  talking  to  Madame  Bouchard.  The  Charbonnels  were 
wrangling  in  the  corner  where  they  had  remained  silent  and 
ill  at  ease  ever  since  their  arrival.  They  had  twice  attempted 
to  get  hold  of  Rougon,  but  had  been  anticipated  by  the  colonel 
and  the  young  woman.  Now,  at  last,  M.  Charbonnel  pushed 
his  wife  towards  the  ex-President. 

'  This  morning,'  she   stammered,    '  we   received  a   letter 

from  your  mother ' 

Rougon  did  not  allow  her  to  finish,  but  took  her  and  her 


42  ms  EXCELLENCY 

husband  into  the  whidow-recess  on  the  right  hand,  once  more 
abandoning  his  portfoHos  without  any  great  sign  of  im- 
patience. 

'  We  have  received  a  letter  from  your  mother,'  repeated 
Madame  Charbonnel,  and  she  was  going  to  read  the  letter  in 
question,  when  Kougon  took  it  from  her  and  glanced  over  it. 
Charbonnel  was  a  retired  oil  merchant  of  Plassans,  and  he 
and  his  wife  had  been  protected  by  Madame  Felicite,  as 
Rougon's  mother  was  called  in  her  own  little  town.  She  had 
given  them  a  letter  of  introduction  to  her  son  on  the  occasion 
of  their  presenting  a  petition  to  the  Council  of  State.  A 
cousin  of  theirs,  one  Chevassu,  a  lawyer  at  Faverolles,  the 
chief  town  of  a  neighbouring  deparbnent,  had  died,  leaving 
his  fortune  of  five  hundred  thousand  francs  to  the  Sister? 
of  the  Holy  Family.  Originally  the  Charbonnels  had  not 
expected  to  inherit  his  fortune,  but  having  suddenly  become 
his  next  heirs,  owing  to  his  brother's  death,  they  contested  the 
will  on  the  ground  of  undue  influence  ;  and  the  Sisterhood 
having  petitioned  the  Council  of  State  to  authorise  the  pay- 
ment of  the  bequest  to  them,  they  had  left  their  old  home  at 
Plassans,  hastened  to  Paris,  and  taken  lodgings  at  the  Hotel 
du  Perigord  in  the  Rue  Jacob  in  order  that  they  might  be  on 
the  spot  to  look  after  their  interests.  The  matter  had  been 
lingering  on  for  the  past  six  months. 

'  We  are  feeling  extremely  depressed,'  sighed  Madame 
Charbonnel,  while  Rougon  was  reading  the  letter.  '  I  myself 
was  always  against  bringing  this  action,  but  Monsieur  Char- 
bonnel said  tliat  with  you  on  our  side  we  should  certainly  get 
the  money,  as  you  had  only  to  say  a  word  to  put  the  five 
hundred  thousand  francs  into  our  pocket.  Isn't  that  so, 
Monsieur  Charbonnel  ?  ' 

The  retired  oil  merchant  nodded  his  head  with  a  hopeless 
air. 

'  And  for  such  a  sum  as  that,'  continued  Madame  Char- 
bonnel, '  it  did  seem  worth  while  to  make  a  change  in  our  old 
way  of  life.  And  it  has  been  nicely  changed  and  disturbed, 
indeed.  Will  you  beheve  it.  Monsieur  Rougon,  they  actually 
refused  to  change  our  dirty  towels  at  the  hotel  yesterday  ? 
We  who  have  five  chests  full  of  linen  at  home  !  ' 

She  went  on  railing  at  Paris,  which  slie  detested.  They 
had  originally  come  thither  for  a  week.  Then,  as  they  had 
always  hoped  to  be  able  to  return  home  during  the  following 
week,  they  had  not  thought  it  worth  while  to  send  for  any- 


RESIGN-ATION-  43 

tiling,  and,  their  case  siill  being  unsettled,  they  doggedly 
lingered  on  in  their  furnished  lodgings,  eating  whatever  it 
pleased  the  cook  to  provide,  short  too  of  clean  linen  and 
almost  of  clothes.  ]\Iadame  Charbonnel  was  obliged  to  dress 
her  hair  with  a  broken  comb.  Sometimes  they  sat  down  on 
their  little  valise  and  wept  from  very  weariness  and  indig- 
nation. 

'  And  the  hotel  is  frequented  by  such  queer  characters  !  ' 
complained  M.  Charbonnel,  with  a  shocked  expression.  '  A 
young  man  has  the  room  next  to  ours,  and  the  things  we 
hear ' 

But  Eougon  was  folding  up  the  letter.  '  My  mother,'  said 
he,  '  gives  you  excellent  advice  in  telling  you  to  be  patient. 
I  can  only  suggest  to  you  to  take  fresh  courage.  You  seem, 
to  me,  to  have  a  good  case,  but  now  that  I  have  resigned  I 
dare  not  promise  you  anything.' 

'  Then  we  will  leave  Paris  to-morrow  ! '  cried  Madame 
Charbonnel,  in  an  outburst  of  despair. 

As  soon  as  this  cry  had  escaped  her  lips,  she  turned  very 
pale  and  her  husband  had  to  support  her.  For  a  moment 
they  both  remained  speechless,  looking  at  each  other  with 
trembling  lips  and  feeling  a  great  desire  to  burst  into  tears. 
They  felt  faint  and  dazed  as  though  they  had  just  seen  the 
five  hundred  thousand  francs  dashed  out  of  their  hands. 

'  You  have  had  to  deal  with  a  powerful  opponent,'  Rougon 
continued  kindly.  '  Monseigneur  Rochart,  the  Bishop  of 
Faverolles,  has  himself  come  to  Paris  to  support  the  claim 
of  the  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Family.  If  it  had  not  been  for  his 
intervention,  you  would  long  ago  have  gained  your  cause. 
Unfortunately  the  clergy  are  now  very  powerful.  However,  I 
am  leaving  friends  here  behind  me,  and  I  hope  to  bring  some 
influence  to  bear  in  your  favour,  while  I  myself  keep  in  the 
background.  Y'ou  have  waited  so  long  that  if  you  go  away 
to-morrow ' 

'  We  will  remain,  we  will  remain  !  '  Madame  Charbonnel 
hastily  gasped.  '  Ah,  Monsieur  Rougon,  this  inheritance  will 
have  cost  us  very  dear  !  ' 

Rougon  now  hastened  back  to  his  papers.  He  cast  a 
glance  of  satisfaction  round  the  room,  delighted  that  there 
was  no  one  else  to  take  him  off  into  one  of  the  window-recesses. 
They  had  all  had  their  say.  And  so  for  a  few  minutes  he 
made  great  progress  with  his  task.  Then  he  waxed  bitterly 
jocose  and  avenged  himself  on  his  visitors  for  the  bother  they 


44  //A^  EXCELLENCY 

had  caused  him  by  attacking  them  with  biting  satire.  For  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  he  proved  a  perfect  scourge  to  those  friends 
of  his  to  whose  various  stories  he  had  just  listened  so  obHg- 
ingly.  His  language  and  manner  to  pretty  Madame  Bouchard 
became  indeed  so  harsh  and  cutting  that  the  young  woman's 
eyes  tilled  with  tears,  though  she  still  continued  to  smile.  All 
the  others  laughed,  accustomed  as  they  were  to  Rougon's 
rough  ways.  They  knew  that  their  prospects  were  never 
better  than  when  he  Avas  belabouring  them  in  this  fashion. 

However,  all  at  once,  there  was  a  gentle  knock  at  the  door. 
'  No,  no  !  '  cried  Eougon  to  Delestang,  who  was  going  to  see 
who  was  there  ;  '  don't  open  it !  Am  I  never  to  be  left  in 
peace  ?  My  head  is  splitting  already.'  Then,  as  the  knock- 
ing continued  with  greater  energy,  he  growled  between  his 
teeth  :  '  Ah,  if  I  were  going  to  stay  here,  I  would  send 
Merle  about  his  business ! ' 

The  knocking  ceased,  but  suddenly  a  little  door  in  a  corner 
of  the  room  was  thrown  back  and  gave  entrance  to  a  huge  blue 
silk  skirt,  which  came  in  backwards.  This  skirt,  which  was 
very  bright  and  profusely  ornamented  Avith  bows  of  ribbon, 
remained  stationary  for  a  moment,  half  inside  the  room  and 
half  outside,  without  anything  further  being  visible.  How- 
ever, a  soft  female  voice  was  heard  speaking. 

'  Monsieur  Rougon !  '  exclaimed  the  lady,  at  last  showing 
her  face. 

It  was  Madame  Correur,  wearing  a  bonnet  wdth  a  cluster 
of  roses  on  it.  Rougon,  who  had  stepped  angrily  towards  the 
door,  with  fists  clenched,  now  bowed  and  grasped  the  new- 
comer's hand. 

'  I  was  asking  Merle  hoAV  he  liked  being  here,'  she  said, 
casting  a  tender  glance  at  the  big  lanky  usher,  who  stood 
smiling  in  front  of  her.  '  And  you.  Monsieur  Rougon,  are 
you  satisfied  with  him  ?  ' 

'  Oh,  yes,  certainly,'  replied  Rougon  pleasantly. 

Merle's  face  still  retained  its  sanctimonious  smile,  and  he 
kept  his  eyes  fixed  upon  Madame  Correur's  plump  neck.  The 
latter  braced  herself  up  to  her  full  height  and  then  brought 
her  curls  over  her  forehead. 

'  I  am  glad  to  hear  that,  my  man,'  she  continued.  '  When 
I  get  any  one  a  place,  I  am  anxious  that  all  parties  should  be 
satisfied.  If  you  ever  want  any  advice.  Merle,  you  can  come 
and  see  me  any  morning,  you  know,  between  eight  and  nine. 
Mind  you  keep  steady,  now.' 


RESIGNATION  45 

Then  she  came  inside  the  room,  and  said  to  Rougon : 
*  There  are  no  servants  so  good  as  those  old  soldiers.' 

And  afterwards  she  took  hold  of  him  and  made  him  cross 
the  room,  leading  him  with  short  steps  to  the  window  at  the 
other  end.  There  she  scolded  him  for  not  having  admitted 
her.  If  Merle  had  not  allowed  her  to  come  in  by  the  little 
door,  she  would  still  have  been  waiting  outside.  And  it  was 
absolutely  necessary  that  she  should  see  him,  she  said,  for  he 
really  could  not  take  himself  off  in  that  way  without  letting 
her  know  how  her  petitions  w'ere  progressing.  Forthwith  she 
drew  from  her  pocket  a  little  memorandum-book,  very  richly 
ornamented  and  bound  in  rose-coloured  watered  silk. 

'  I  did  not  see  the  Monitcur  till  after  dejciuio;'  she 
continued  ;  '  and  then  I  took  a  cab  at  on(?e.  Tell  me,  now, 
how  is  the  matter  of  Madame  Leturc,  the  captain's  widow, 
who  wants  a  tobacco  shop,  getting  on  ?  I  promised  her  that 
she  should  have  a  definite  answer  next  week.  There's  also 
the  case  of  Herminie  Billecoq,  you  remember,  who  used  to 
be  a  pupil  of  Saint  Denis.  Her  seducer,  an  officer,  has  con- 
sented to  marry  her  if  any  charitable  soul  will  give  her 
the  regulation  dowry.  We  thought  about  applying  to  the 
Empress.  Then  there  are  all  those  ladies,  JMadame  Chardon, 
Madame  Testaniere,  and  ]\Iadame  Jalaguier,  who  have  been 
waiting  for  months.' 

Rougon  quietly  gave  her  the  replies  she  sought,  explained 
the  various  causes  of  the  delays  that  had  occurred,  and  en- 
tered into  minute  details.  However,  he  gave  her  to  under- 
stand that  she  must  not  reckon  so  much  upon  him  in  the 
future  as  she  had  done  in  the  past.  This  threw  her  into 
great  distress.  It  made  her  so  happy,  she  said,  to  be  able  to 
be  of  service  to  any  one.  AYhat  would  become  of  her  with  all 
those  ladies  ?  Then  she  spoke  of  her  own  affairs,  with  which 
Rougon  was  fully  acquainted.  She  again  reminded  him  that 
she  was  a  Martineau,  one  of  the  Martineaus  of  Coulonges,  a 
good  family  of  La  Vendee,  in  which  fathers  and  sons  had 
been  notaries  without  a  break  over  seven  successive  genera- 
tions. She  never  clearly  explained  how  she  came  to  bear 
the  name  of  Correur.  When  she  was  twenty-four  years  old 
she  had  eloped  with  a  young  journeyman  butcher,  and  for 
six  months  her  father  had  suffered  the  greatest  distress  from 
this  disgraceful  scandal,  about  which  the  neighbourhood  still 
gossiped.  Ever  since  then  she  had  been  living  in  Paris, 
utterly  ignored  by  her  family.     She  had  written  fully  a  dozen 


46  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

times  to  her  brother,  who  was  now  at  the  head  of  the  family 
practice,  but  had  failed  to  get  any  reply  from  him.  His 
silence,  she  said,  was  due  to  her  sister-in-law,  a  woman  who 
'  carried  on  with  priests,  and  led  that  imbecile  brother  of  hers 
by  the  nose.'  One  of  her  most  cherished  ambitions,  as  in 
Du  Poizat's  case,  was  to  return  to  her  own  neighbourhood  as 
a  well-to-do  and  honoured  woman. 

'  I  wrote  again  a  week  ago,'  she  said ;  '  but  I  have  no 
doubt  she  throws  my  letters  into  the  fire.  However,  if  my 
brother  should  die,  she  would  be  obliged  to  let  me  go  to  the 
house,  for  they  have  no  child,  and  I  should  have  interests 
to  look  after.  My  brother  is  fifteen  years  older  than  I  am, 
and  I  hear  that  he  suiiers  from  gout.'  Then  she  suddenly 
changed  her  tone,  and  continued :  '  However,  don't  let  us 
bother  about  that  now.  It's  for  you  that  we  must  use  all 
our  energies  at  present,  Eugene.  We  will  do  our  best,  you 
shall  see.  It  is  necessary  that  you  should  be  everything  in 
order  that  we  may  be  something.  You  remember  '51,  don't 
you,  eh  ?  ' 

Rougon  smiled,  and  as  Madame  Correur  pressed  his  hands 
with  a  maternal  air,  he  bent  down  and  whispered  into  her 
ear  :  '  If  you  see  Gilquin,  tell  him  to  be  prudent.  Only  the 
other  week,  when  he  got  himself  locked  up,  he  took  it  into  his 
head  to  give  my  name,  so  that  I  might  bail  him  out.' 

Madame  Correur  promised  to  speak  to  Gilquin,  one  of  her 
tenants  at  the  time  when  Eougon  had  lodged  at  the  Hotel 
Vanneau,  and  withal  a  very  useful  fellow  on  certain  occa- 
sions, though  apt  to  be  extremely  compromising.  '  I  have  a 
cab  below,  and  so  now  I'll  be  oft','  she  said  aloud  with  a  smile 
as  she  stepped  into  the  middle  of  the  room. 

Nevertheless,  she  lingered  for  a  few  minutes  longer,  hoping 
that  the  others  would  take  their  departure  at  the  same  time. 
In  her  desire  to  eftect  this,  she  oft'ered  to  take  one  of  them 
with  her  in  her  cab.  The  colonel  accepted  the  ofier,  and  it 
was  settled  that  young  Auguste  should  sit  beside  the  driver. 
Then  general  hand-shaking  began  Rougon  took  up  a  posi- 
tion by  the  door,  which  was  thrown  wide  open  ;  and  as  his 
visitors  passed  out,  each  gave  him  a  parting  assurance  of 
sympathy.  M.  Kahn,  Du  Poizat,  and  the  colonel  stretched 
out  their  necks  and  whispered  a  few  words  in  his  ear,  begging 
him  not  to  forget  them.  However,  when  the  Charbonnels 
had  already  reached  the  first  step  of  the  staircase,  and 
Madame  Correur  was  chatting  with  Merle  at  the  far  end  of 


HESIGNA  TION  4  7 

the  ante-room,  INIadame  Bouchard,  for  whom  her  husband 
and  M.  d'Escorailles  waited  a  few  paces  away,  still  lingered 
smilingly  before  Rougon,  asking  him  at  what  time  she  could 
see  him  privately  in  the  Rue  Marbeuf,  because  she  felt  too 
stupid,  said  she,  when  he  had  visitors  with  him.  At  this 
the  colonel,  hearing  her,  suddenly  darted  back  into  the  room, 
and  then  the  others  followed,  there  being  a  general  return. 

'  We  will  all  come  to  see  you,'  the  colonel  cried. 

'  You  mustn't  hide  yourself  away  from  every  one,'  added 
several  voices.  But  M.  Kahn  waved  his  hand  to  obtain 
silence.  And  then  he  made  that  famous  remark  of  his : 
'You  don't  belong  to  yourself;  you  belong  to  your  friends, 
and  to  France.' 

At  last  they  all  went  away,  and  Rougon  was  able  to  close 
the  door.  He  heaved  a  great  sigh  of  relief.  Delestang, 
whom  he  had  quite  forgotten,  now  made  his  appearance  from 
behind  the  heap  of  pasteboard  boxes,  in  the  shelter  of  which 
he  had  just  finished  classifying  difi'erent  papers,  like  a  con- 
scientious friend.  He  was  feeling  a  little  proud  of  his  work. 
He  had  been  acting,  while  the  others  had  merely  been 
talking  ;  so  it  was  with  genuine  satisfaction  that  he  received 
the  great  man's  thanks.  It  was  only  he,  so  the  latter  said, 
who  could  have  rendered  him  this  service  ;  he  had  an  orderly 
mind,  and  a  methodical  manner  of  woiking  which  would 
carry  him  far.  And  Rougon  made  other  flattering  observa- 
tions, without  it  being  possible  for  one  to  know  whether  he 
was  really  in  earnest  or  only  jesting.  Then,  turning  round, 
and  glancing  into  the  different  corners,  he  said  :  '  There,  I 
think  we've  finished  everything  now,  thanks  to  you.  There's 
nothing  more  to  be  done,  except  to  tell  Merle  to  have  tliese 
packets  carried  to  my  house.' 

He  called  the  usher,  and  pointed  out  his  private  papers. 
And  in  reply  to  all  his  instructions  the  usher  repeated : 
'Yes,  Monsieur  le  President.' 

'  Don't  call  me  President  any  more,  you  stupid,'  Rougon 
at  last  exclaimed  in  irritation  ;  '  I'm  one  no  longer.' 

Merle  bowed,  and  took  a  step  towards  the  door.  Then  he 
stopped  and  seemed  to  hesitate.  Finally  he  came  back  and 
said :  '  There's  a  lady  on  horseback  down  below  who  wants 
to  see  you,  sir.  She  laughed,  and  said  she  would  come  up, 
horse  and  all,  if  the  staircase  were  wide  enough.  She  de- 
clared that  she  only  wanted  to  shake  hands  with  you,  sir.' 

Rougon  clenched  his  fists,  thinking  this  to  be  some  joke  ; 


48  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

but  Delestang,  who  head  gone  to  look  out  of  the  window  on 
the  landing,  hastened  back,  exclaiming,  with  an  expression  of 
emotion  :  '  Mademoiselle  Clorinde  ! ' 

Then  Kougon  said  that  he  would  go  downstairs  ;  and  as 
he  and  Delestang  took  their  hats,  he  looked  at  his  friend, 
and  with  a  frown  and  a  suspicious  air,  prompted  by  the 
latter's  emotion,  exclahned  :  '  Beware  of  women  !  ' 

When  he  reached  the  door,  he  gave  a  last  glance  round 
the  room.  The  full  light  of  day  was  streaming  through  the 
three  open  windows,  illumining  the  open  pasteboard  boxes, 
the  scattered  drawers  and  the  packets  of  papers,  tied  up  and 
heaped  together  in  the  middle  of  the  carpet.  The  apartment 
looked  very  spacious  and  very  mournful.  In  the  grate  only  a 
small  heap  of  black  ashes  was  now  left  of  all  the  handfuls  of 
burnt  papers.  And  as  Rougon  closed  the  door  behind  him, 
the  taper,  which  had  been  forgotten  on  the  edge  of  the 
writing-table,  burnt  out,  splitting  the  cut-glass  socket  of  the 
candlestick  to  pieces  amid  the  silence  of  the  empty  room. 


III 

MADEMOISELLE    CLOBINDE 

Rougon  occasionally  went  to  Countess  Balbi's  for  a  few 
minutes  towards  four  in  the  afternoon.  He  walked  there  in 
a  neighbourly  way,  for  she  lived  in  a  small  house  overlooking 
the  avenue  of  the  Champs  Elysees,  only  a  few  yards  from  the 
Rue  Marbeuf.  She  was  seldom  at  home,  and  when  by  chance 
she  did  happen  to  be  there  she  was  in  bed,  and  had  to  send 
excuses  for  not  making  her  appearance.  This,  however,  did  not 
prevent  the  staircase  of  the  little  house  from  being  crowded 
with  noisy  visitors,  or  the  drawing-room  doors  from  being 
perpetually  on  the  swing.  Her  daughter  Clorinde  was  wont 
to  receive  her  friends  in  a  gallery,  something  like  an  artist's 
studio,  with  large  windows  overlooking  the  avenue. 

For  nearly  three  months  Rougon,  with  his  blunt  distaste 
for  female  wiles,  had  responded  very  coldly  to  the  advances  of 
these  ladies,  who  had  managed  to  get  introduced  to  him  at  a 
ball  given  by  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs.  He  met  them 
everywhere,  both  of  them  smiling  with  the  same  winning 
smile — the  mother  always  silent,  while  the  daughter  always 


MADEMOISELLE   CLORINDE  49 

chattered  and  looked  him  straight  in  the  face.  However,  he 
still  went  on  avoiding  them,  lowering  his  eyes  so  as  not  to  see 
them,  and  refusing  the  invitations  which  they  sent  him. 
Then  as  they  continued  to  press  him  hard  and  pursued  him 
even  to  his  own  house,  past  which  Clorinde  used  to  ride 
ostentatiously,  he  made  inquiries  before  at  last  venturing  to 
call  on  them. 

At  the  Sardinian  Legation  the  ladies  were  spoken  of  in 
very  favourable  terms.  There  had  been  a  real  Count  Balbi, 
it  appeared ;  the  Countess  still  kept  up  relations  with  persons 
of  high  position  at  Turin,  and  the  daughter,  during  the  pre- 
ceding year,  had  been  on  the  point  of  marrying  a  petty 
German  prince.  But  at  the  Duchess  of  Sanquirino's,  where 
Rougon  made  his  next  inquiries,  he  heard  a  different  story. 
There  he  was  told  that  Clorinde  had  been  born  two  years 
after  the  Count's  death,  and  a  very  complicated  history  of  the 
Balbis  was  retailed  to  him.  The  husband  and  wife  had  led 
most  adventurous  and  dissolute  lives  ;  they  had  been  divorced 
in  France,  but  had  afterwards  become  reconciled  to  each  other 
in  Italy,  their  subsequent  cohabitation  being  an  illicit  one,  in 
consequence  of  their  previous  divorce. 

A  young  attache,  who  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
what  went  on  at  the  court  of  King  Victor  Emmanuel,  was 
still  more  explicit.  According  to  him,  whatever  influence  the 
Countess  still  retained  in  Italy  was  due  to  an  old  connection 
with  a  very  highly  placed  personage  there,  and  he  hinted  that 
she  would  not  have  left  Turin  had  it  not  been  for  a  terrible 
scandal  into  the  details  of  which  he  would  not  enter.  Rougon, 
whose  interest  in  the  matter  was  increasing  with  the  extent 
of  his  inquiries,  now  went  to  the  police  authorities,  but  they 
could  give  him  no  precise  information.  Their  entries  relating 
to  the  two  foreigners  simply  described  them  as  women  who 
kept  up  a  great  show  without  any  proof  that  they  were  really 
in  possession  of  a  substantial  fortune.  They  asserted  that 
they  had  property  in  Piedmont ;  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there 
were  sudden  breaks  in  their  life  of  luxury,  during  which  they 
abruptly  disappeared,  only  to  reappear  shortly  afterwards  in 
fresh  splendour.  Briefly,  all  that  the  police  could  say  was 
that  they  really  knew  nothing  about  them  and  would  prefer 
to  know  nothing.  At  the  same  time,  it  was  certain  that  the 
women  associated  with  the  best  society,  and  that  their  house 
was  looked  upon  as  neutral  ground,  where  Clorinde' s  eccen- 
tricities were  tolerated  and  excused  on  account  of  her  being  a 


so  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

foreigner.     And  so  Eoiigon  at  last  made  up  his  mind  to  see 
the  ladies. 

By  the  time  he  had  paid  his  third  visit,  the  great  man's 
cm-iosity  with  respect  to  them  had  still  further  increased.  He 
was  of  a  cold  dispassionate  nature  which  was  not  easily 
stirred  into  life.  What  first  attracted  him  in  Clorinde  was 
the  mystery  surrounding  her,  the  story  of  a  past-away  life 
and  the  yearning  for  a  new  existence  which  he  could  read  in 
the  depths  of  her  big  goddess-like  eyes.  He  had  heard  dis- 
graceful scandal  about  her — an  early  love-affair  with  a 
coachman,  and  a  subsequent  connection  with  a  banker  who 
had  presented  her  with  the  little  house  in  the  Champs 
Elysees.  However,  every  now  and  then  she  seemed  to  him 
so  child -like  that  he  doubted  the  truth  of  what  he  had  been 
told,  and  again  and  again  essayed  to  find  out  the  secret  of 
this  strange  girl,  who  became  to  him  a  living  enigma,  the 
solution  of  which  interested  him  as  much  as  some  intricate 
political  problem.  Until  then  he  had  felt  a  scornful  disdain 
for  women,  and  the  first  one  who  excited  his  interest  was 
certainly  as  singular  and  complicated  a  being  as  could  be 
imagined. 

Upon  the  morrow  of  the  day  when  Clorinde  had  gone  on 
her  hired  horse  to  give  Rougon  a  sympathetic  shake  of  the 
hand  at  the  door  of  the  Council  of  State,  Rougon  himself 
went  to  pay  her  a  visit.  She  had  made  him  give  a  solemn 
promise  to  do  so.  She  wanted,  she  said,  to  show  him  some- 
thing which  would  brighten  his  gloomy  moods.  He  laugh- 
ingly called  her  his  '  pet  vice  ' ;  forgot  his  worries  when  he 
was  with  her,  and  felt  cheerful  and  amused.  The  more  so 
as  she  kept  his  mind  on  the  alert,  for  he  was  still  seeking  the 
key  to  her  history,  and  was  as  yet  no  nearer  a  solution  than 
on  the  first  day.  As  he  turned  the  corner  of  the  Rue  Marbeuf, 
he  glanced  at  the  house  in  the  Rue  du  Colisee  tenanted  by 
Dclestang,  whom  he  fancied  he  had  several  times  seen  peering 
through  the  half  open  shutters  of  his  study  at  Clorinde's 
window  across  the  avenue  ;  but  to-day  the  shutters  were 
closed.  Delestang  had  probably  gone  off  to  his  model-farm 
at  La  Chamade. 

The  door  of  the  Balbis'  house  was  always  wide  open.  At 
the  foot  of  the  staircase  Rougon  met  a  little  dark-complexioned 
woman,  with  untidy  hair  and  a  tattered  yellow  dress.  She 
was  biting  at  an  orange  as  though  it  were  an  apple. 

*  Is  your  mistress  at  home,  Antonia  ?  '  he  asked  he?, 


MADEMOISELLE   CLORINDE  51 

Her  mouth  was  too  full  to  allow  her  to  reply,  so  she 
nodded  her  head  energetically  and  smiled.  Her  lips  were 
streaming  with  orange  juice,  and  her  little  eyes,  as  she 
screwed  them  up,  looked  like  drops  of  ink  upon  her  dark  skin. 

Rougon  was  already  accustomed  to  the  irregular  ways  of 
the  Balbis'  servants,  so  without  more  ado  he  went  up  the 
stairs.  On  his  way  he  met  a  big  lanky  man-servant,  with  a 
face  like  a  brigand's  and  a  long  black  beard,  who  coolly  stared 
at  him  without  giving  him  the  balustrade- side.  When  he 
reached  the  first  fioor,  he  found  himself  confronted  by  three 
open  doors,  but  saw  no  one  about.  The  door  on  his  left  hand 
was  that  of  Clorinde's  bedroom.  Curiosity  prompted  him  to 
peep  inside.  Although  it  was  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
the  bed  had  not  been  made  or  the  room  tidied.  Upon  a 
screen  standing  in  front  of  the  bed  and  half  concealing  the 
tumbled  coverlets,  some  splashed  petticoats  which  the  girl 
had  worn  on  the  previous  day  had  been  hung  to  dry,  while  a 
wash-basin,  full  of  soapy  water,  stood  on  the  floor  in  front 
of  the  window,  and  the  cat  of  the  house,  a  grey  one,  slept, 
comfortably  curled,  in  the  midst  of  a  heap  of  garments. 

It  was,  however,  upon  the  second  floor  that  Clorinde  was 
generally  to  be  found,  in  the  gallery  which  she  had  succes- 
sively turned  into  a  studio,  a  smoking-room,  a  hot-house,  and 
a  summer  drawing-room.  As  Rougon  ascended  upwards  lie 
heard  a  growing  uproar  of  voices,  shrill  laughter  and  a  noise 
as  of  furniture  being  overturned  ;  and  when  he  reached  the 
door  he  could  distinguish  the  notes  of  a  consumptive  piano 
and  sounds  of  singing.  He  knocked  at  the  door  twice  with- 
out receiving  any  answer,  and  then  determined  to  enter. 

'  Ah  !  bravo,  bravo,  here  he  is !  '  cried  Clorinde,  clapping 
her  hands. 

Rougon,  whom  it  was  generally  so  difficult  to  put  out  of 
countenance,  for  a  moment  remained  timidly  on  the  threshold. 
Chevaher  Rusconi,  the  Sardinian  Minister,  a  handsome  dark- 
complexioned  man,  who,  under  other  circumstances,  was  a 
grave  diplomatist,  sat  in  ifront  of  the  piano,  the  keys  of  which 
he  was  striking  furiously  so  as  to  extract  a  fuller  sound  from 
the  instrument.  In  the  middle  of  the  room  deputy  La 
Rouquette  was  waltzing  with  a  chair,  the  back  of  which  he 
amorously  encircled  with  his  arms,  and  he  was  so  absorbed 
in  his  aniusement  that  he  had  littered  the  carpet  with  other 
chairs  which  he  had  overturned.  Then,  in  the  bright  light 
of  one  of  the  window-recesses,  Clorinde  stood  upon  the  centre 

«3 


52  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

of  a  table,  posing,  with  perfect  unconcern,  as  the  huntress 
Diana,  in  front  of  a  young  man  who  was  sketching  her  with 
charcoal  upon  white  canvas.  Finally,  on  a  couch,  three 
serious-looking  men  with  their  legs  crossed  were  silently 
smoking  big  cigars  and  looking  at  Clorinde. 

'  Wait  a  moment !  don't  move  !  '  cried  Chevalier  Eusconi 
to  Clorinde,  who  was  about  to  jump  ofi'  the  table.  '  I  am 
going  to  make  the  presentations.' 

Then,  followed  by  Rougon,  he  said  playfully,  as  he  went 
past  M.  La  Rouquette,  who  had  dropped  breathless  into  an  easy 
chair  :  '  Monsieur  La  Rouquette  whom  you  know  ;  a  future 
minister.'  And  going  up  to  the  artist,  he  continued  :  '  Signor 
Luigi  Pozzo,  my  secretary ;  diplomatist,  painter,  musician, 
and  lover.' 

He  had  overlooked  the  three  men  on  the  couch,  but  catch- 
ing sight  of  them  as  he  turned  round,  he  dropped  his  playful 
tones,  bowed  towards  them  and  said  in  a  ceremonious  voice  : 
'  Signor  Brambilla,  Signor  Staderino,  Signor  Viscardi,  all 
three  political  refugees.' 

The  three  Venetians  bowed  without  removing  their  cigars 
from  their  lips.  Chevalier  Rusconi  was  returning  to  the  piano 
when  Clorinde  briskly  called  him  back  and  reproached  him 
with  being  a  very  careless  master  of  the  ceremonies.  Then, 
motioning  towards  Rougon,  she  just  said,  though  in  a  very 
significant  and  flattering  tone  :  '  Monsieur  Eugene  Rougon.' 

Every  one  bowed  again  ;  and  Rougon,  who  for  a  moment 
had  been  rather  afraid  of  some  compromising  pleasantry,  felt 
surprised  at  the  unexpected  tact  and  dignity  shown  by  this 
girl,  so  scantily  clad  in  gauze.  He  took  a  seat  and  inquired 
after  the  Contessa  Balbi,  as  was  his  custom.  He  even  pre- 
tended every  time  he  came  that  his  visit  was  intended 
for  the  mother,  as  this  seemed  mote  consonant  with  strict 
propriety. 

'  I  should  have  been  very  glad  to  have  paid  my  respects  to 
her,'  he  said,  using  the  formula  which  he  always  employed 
under  the  circumstances. 

'  But  mother  is  there  ! '  exclaimed  Clorinde,  pointing  to  a 
corner  of  the  room  with  her  bow  of  gilded  wood. 

The  Countess  was  indeed  there,  reclining  in  a  deep  easy 
chair  behind  a  variety  of  other  furniture.  This  discovery 
came  quite  as  a  surprise.  The  three  political  refugees  had 
evidently  been  unaware  of  her  presence,  for  they  at  once  rose 
from  their  couch  and  bowed.    Rougon  went  up  and  shook 


MADEMOISELLE   CLORINDE  53 

hands  with  her,  standing  while  she,  still  lying  back  in  her 
chair,  answered  him  in  monosyllables  with  that  perpetual 
smile  of  hers  which  never  left  her,  even  when  she  was  ill. 
Then  she  relapsed  into  listless  silence,  glancing  every  now  and 
then  into  the  avenue  along  which  a  stream  of  carriages  was 
passing.  She  had  probably  taken  up  her  position  there  in 
order  to  watch  the  people.     And  so  Eougon  soon  left  her. 

Chevalier  Eusconi,  having  again  taken  his  seat  at  the 
piano,  was  trying  to  recall  a  tune,  gently  striking  the  keys  and 
humming  some  Italian  words  in  a  low  voice.  La  Rouquette, 
meantime,  was  fanning  himself  with  his  handkerchief ; 
Clorinde  was  again  seriously  impersonating  Diana,  and 
Eougon,  in  the  sudden  calm  which  had  come  upon  the  room, 
took  short  steps  up  and  down  while  looking  at  the  walls. 
The  gallery  was  crowded  with  an  extraordinary  collection  of 
articles ;  a  secretaire,  a  chest,  and  several  chairs  and  tables,  all 
pushed  into  the  middle  of  the  apartment  and  forming  a  laby- 
rinth of  narrow  passages.  At  one  end  of  the  room  some  hot- 
house plants,  crowded  together  and  neglected,  were  drooping 
and  dying,  their  long,  pendent  leaves  already  turning  yellow  ; 
and  at  the  other  end  there  was  a  great  heap  of  dried  sculptor's 
clay,  in  which  one  could  still  recognise  the  crumbling  arms 
and  legs  of  a  statue  which  Clorinde  had  roughly  moulded  one 
day  when  seized  with  the  whim  of  becoming  an  artist. 
Although  the  gallery  was  very  large,  there  was  only  one  un- 
encumbered spot  in  it,  a  patch  in  front  of  one  of  the  windows, 
a  small  square,  which  had  been  turned  into  a  kind  of  little 
drawing-room,  furnished  with  a  couch  and  three  odd  easy 
chairs. 

'  You  are  at  liberty  to  smoke,'  said  Clorinde  to  Eougon. 
He  thanked  her,  but  told  her  that  he  never  smoked.  Then,  with- 
out turning  round,  the  girl  cried  out :  '  Chevalier,  make  me  a 
cigarette.     The  tobacco  is  in  front  of  you,  on  the  piano.' 

While  the  Chevalier  was  making  the  cigarette  there  was 
another  interval  of  silence.  Eougon,  vexed  at  finding  all 
these  people  present,  felt  inclined  to  take  up  his  hat  ;  however, 
he  turned  round  and  walked  up  to  Clorinde  ;  then  raising  his 
head,  he  said  with  a  smile  :  '  Didn't  you  ask  me  to  call  because 
you  had  something  to  show  me  ?  ' 

She  did  not  immediately  reply,  but  maintained  her  serious 
pose ;  so  he  continued :  '  What  is  it  that  you  want  to  show 
me?' 

'Myself,'  she  answered. 


54  ffTS  EXCELLENCY 

She  spoke  this  word  in  a  majestic  tone,  not  moving  a  limb 
as  she  stood  there  on  the  table  in  her  goddess-like  posture. 
Rougon,  in  his  turn  becoming  grave,  took  a  step  backward 
and  scrutinised  her.  She  was  truly  a  superb  creature,  with 
her  pure  perfect  profile,  her  slender  neck,  and  admirable 
classic  figure.  She  rested  one  hand  upon  her  bow,  and  pre- 
served all  the  antique  huntress's  expression  of  serene  strength, 
regardless  of  the  scantiness  of  her  attire,  contemptuous  of 
the  love  of  man,  at  once  cold,  haughty,  and  immortal. 

'  Charming,  charming  ! '  exclaimed  Rougon,  not  knowing 
what  else  to  say. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  he  found  her  statuesque  immobility 
rather  disturbing.  She  looked  so  triumphant,  so  convinced 
of  her  classical  beauty,  that,  if  he  had  dared  to  express  his 
thoughts,  he  would  have  criticised  her  like  some  marble  statue, 
certain  details  of  which  displeased  his  unaDsthetic  eyes. 

'  Have  you  looked  enough  ?  '  asked  Clorinde,  still  serious 
and  earnest.  '  Wait  a  moment  and  you  shall  see  something 
else.' 

Then,  of  a  sudden,  she  was  no  longer  Diana.  She 
dropped  her  bow  and  assumed  another,  and  more  syren-like 
posture.  Her  hands  were  thrown  behind  her  head  and 
clasped  together  in  her  hair ;  her  bust  bent  slightly  back- 
wards, and,  as  she  half-opened  her  lips  and  smiled,  a  stream 
of  sunshine  lighted  up  her  face.  And  standing  thus  she 
looked  like  the  very  goddess  of  love. 

Signor  Brambilla,  Signor  Staderino,  and  Signor  Viscardi 
br"oke  into  applause  in  all  seriousness,  never  casting  off  their 
gloomy  conspirator-like  mien. 

'  Brava  !  brava !  brava  ! ' 

On  his  side  M.  La  Rouquette,  was  quite  frantic  with  en- 
thusiasm, and  Chevalier  Rusconi,  who  had  stepped  up  to  the 
table  to  hand  the  girl  the  cigarette  which  he  had  made  for 
her,  remained  transfixed  there,  gazing  at  her  with  ecstatic 
eyes  and  slightly  jogging  his  head  as  though  beating  time  to 
his  admiration. 

Rougon  said  nothing,  but  clasped  his  hands  so  tightly 
together  that  their  joints  cracked.  A  subtle  tremor  had  just 
sped  through  him.  He  no  longer  thought  of  going  away,  but 
dropped  into  a  chair.  Clorinde  had  already  resumed  her  easy, 
natural  pose,  and  was  laughing  and  smoking  her  cigarette 
with  a  proud  twist  of  her  lips.  It  would  have  delighted  her, 
said  she,  to  be  an  actress.    She  could  personate  anger,  tender- 


MADEMOISELLE  CLORLVDE  55 

ness,  modesty,  fright,  and  with  a  turn  of  her  features  or  an 
attitude  hit  off  all  sorts  of  different  people. 

'  Monsieur  Rougon,'  she  asked  abruptly,  '  would  you  like 
to  see  me  imitate  you  when  you  are  addressing  the  Chamber  ? ' 
And  thereupon  she  drew  herself  up  to  her  full  height,  puffed 
herself  out  and  thrust  her  fists  in  front  of  her  with  such  droll, 
yet  truthful,  mimicry,  that  they  all  nearly  killed  themselves 
with  laughing.  Rougon  roared  like  a  boy.  He  found  Clorinde 
adorable,  indeed  exquisite,  but  also  very  disturbing. 

'  Clorinde,  Clorinde !  '  cried  Luigi,  gently  tapping  his 
easel. 

She  was  moving  about  so  restlessly  that  he  was  obhged  to 
desist  from  his  work.  He  had  now  laid  his  charcoal  aside 
and  was  putting  colour  on  the  canvas  with  an  earnest  air. 
He  himself  remained  quite  serious  amidst  all  the  laughter, 
raising  his  glistening  eyes  to  the  young  girl  and  then  glancing 
fiercely  at  the  men  with  whom  she  was  joking.  It  was  his 
own  idea  to  paint  her  in  the  character  of  Diana,  in  a  costume 
which  had  been  the  talk  of  all  Paris  ever  since  the  ball  at  the 
embassy.  He  claimed  to  be  her  cousin,  as  they  had  both  been 
born  in  the  same  street  in  Florence. 

'  Clorinde  !  '  he  repeated  almost  angrily. 

'  Luigi  is  right,'  she  then  exclaimed,  '  you  are  not  behaving 
properly,  gentlemen.  What  a  noise  you  are  making  !  Come, 
let  us  get  on  with  our  work.' 

Then  she  once  more  assumed  her  Olympian  attitude,  again 
presenting  the  semblance  of  a  beautiful  marble  image.  The 
men  remained  where  they  were,  keeping  perfectly  still,  as 
though  rooted  to  the  floor.  La  Rouquette  alone  ventured  to 
beat  a  gentle  tattoo  with  his  finger-tips  on  the  arms  of  his 
chair.  Rougon,  for  his  part,  sat  back  and  gazed  at  Clorinde, 
and  gradually  fell  into  a  dreamy  state  in  which  the  girl 
seemed  to  him  to  expand  into  gigantic  proportions.  A  woman 
was  certainly  a  wonderful  piece  of  mechanism,  he  reflected.  It 
was  a  matter  that  he  had  never  before  thought  of  studying ; 
but  now  he  began  to  have  vague  mental  glimpses  of  extra- 
ordinary intricacies.  For  a  moment  he  was  filled  with  a 
distinct  consciousness  of  the  power  of  those  bare  shoulders, 
which  seemed  strong  enough  to  shake  a  world.  All  swam 
before  him,  and  Clorinde' s  figure  seemed  to  grow  larger  and 
larger  till  it  appeared  gigantic,  and  entirely  hid  the  window 
from  his  sight.  But  he  blinked  his  eyes  sharply,  and  then 
he  again  saw  her  clearly,  standing  upon  the  table  and  much 


56  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

smaller  than  himself.  At  this  his  face  broke  into  a  smile, 
and  he  felt  surprised  that  he  could  have  entertained  a 
moment's  fear  of  her. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  gallery  some  talk  was  now  going 
on  in  low  tones.  Eougon  listened'  from  force  of  habit,  but 
could  only  distinguish  a  rapid  marmur  of  Italian  syllables. 
Chevalier  Rusconi,  who  had  just  glided  behind  his  chair,  had 
laid  one  hand  on  the  back  of  the  Countess's  seat,  and,  bending 
over  her  respectfully,  seemed  to  be  telling  her  some  long 
story.  The  Countess  said  nothing,  but  nodded  every  now 
and  again.  Once,  however,  she  made  an  energetic  gesture  of 
negation,  whereupon  the  Chevalier  bent  still  closer  and  tran- 
quillised  her  with  his  melodious  voice,  the  murmur  of  which 
"was  like  the  warbling  of  a  song-bird.  At  last  Rougon, 
through  his  knowledge  of  the  dialect  of  Provence,  caught  a 
few  words  which  made  him  grave. 

'Mother,'  Clorinde  cried  abruptly,  'have  you  shown  the 
Chevalier  the  telegram  you  received  last  night  ?  ' 

'  A  telegram  !  '  exclaimed  the  Chevalier  in  a  loud  tone. 

The  Countess  drew  a  bundle  of  letters  from  her  pocket 
and  began  to  search  amongst  them.  Then  she  handed  the 
Chevalier  a  much  crumpled  strip  of  blue  paper. 

As  soon  as  he  had  glanced  over  it  he  made  a  gesture  of 
anger  and  astonishment.  '  What !  '  he  cried  in  French,  for- 
getting the  presence  of  the  others,  '  you  knew  this  yesterday  ! 
And  I  only  learnt  it  this  morning  ! ' 

Clorinde  indulged  in  a  fresh  burst  of  laughter,  which  in- 
creased his  irritation. 

'  And  Madame  la  Comtesse  allows  me  to  tell  her  the  whole 
story,  as  though  she  knew  nothing  about  it !  '  he  continued. 
'  Well,  as  the  head-quarters  of  the  legation  seem  to  be  here,  I 
shall  call  every  day  to  see  the  correspondence.' 

The  Countess  smiled.  She  again  searched  in  her  bundle 
of  letters  and  took  out  a  second  paper  which  she  gave  the 
Chevalier  to  read.  This  time  he  seemed  much  pleased.  Then 
they  renewed  their  conversation  in  whispers,  the  Chevalier's 
face  once  more  w^earing  a  respectful  smile.  Before  he  left  the 
Countess,  he  kissed  her  hand. 

'  There  !  we've  done  with  business,'  he  said  in  a  low 
voice  as  he  took  his  seat  at  the  piano  again. 

Then  he  rattled  ofif  a  vulgar  air  which  was  very  popular 
in  Paris  that  year.  But  having  ascertained  what  time  it  was, 
he  suddenly  sprang  up  to  get  his  hat. 


MADEMOISELLE   CLORINDE  57 

'  Are  you  going  ?  '  asked  Clorinde.  Then  she  beckoned 
him  to  her,  and  leaning  on  his  shoulder  whispered  some- 
thing into  his  ear.  He  nodded  and  smiled  ;  and  finally  said  : 
'  Capital,  capital.     I  will  write  and  mention  it.' 

At  last  he  bowed  to  the  company  and  retired.  Luigi 
tapped  Clorinde,  who  was  squatting  on  the  table,  with  his 
maul-stick,  in  order  to  make  her  stand  up  again.  The 
Countess  appeared  to  have  grown  tired  of  watching  the 
stream  of  carriages  in  the  avenue,  for  she  pulled  the  bell-rope 
that  hung  behind  her  as  soon  as  she  lost  sight  of  the  Cheva- 
lier's brougham,  which  quickly  disappeared  among  the  crowd 
of  landaus  coming  back  from  the  Bois.  It  was  the  big  lanky 
man-servant  with  the  brigand's  face  who  answered  her  sum- 
mons, leaving  the  door  wide  open  behind  him.  Leaning 
heavily  on  his  arm,  she  slowly  crossed  the  room,  the  men 
standing  up  and  bowing  as  she  passed.  She  acknowledged 
their  salutations  with  a  smiling  nod.  When  she  reached  the 
door,  she  turned  and  said  to  Clorinde  :  '  I  have  got  my  head- 
ache again  ;  I'm  going  to  lie  down  a  little.' 

'  Flaminio,'  called  the  young  girl  to  the  servant  who  was 
assisting  her  mother,  '  put  a  hot  iron  at  her  feet.' 

The  three  political  refugees  did  not  sit  down  again.  For 
a  few  moments  they  remained  standing  in  a  row,  finishing 
their  cigars,  the  stumps  of  which  they  then  threw,  each  with 
the  same  precise  gesture,  behind  the  heap  of  dry  clay.  And 
afterwards  they  filed  past  Clorinde,  going  off  in  procession. 

M.  La  Rouquette  had  just  commenced  a  serious  conversa- 
tion with  Rougon.  '  Yes,  indeed,'  he  remarked,  '  I  know  very 
well  that  this  question  of  sugars  is  one  of  the  greatest  import- 
ance. It  affects  a  whole  branch  of  French  commerce.  But 
unfortunately  nobody  in  the  Chamber  seems  to  have  thoroughly 
studied  the  subject.' 

Rougon,  whom  he  bored,  only  answered  with  a  nod.  How- 
ever, the  young  deputy  di^ew  closer  to  him,  an  expression  of 
sudden  gravity  coming  over  his  girlish  face  as  he  continued  : 
'  I  myself  have  an  uncle  in  the  sugar  trade.  He  has  one  of 
the  largest  refining-houses  at  Marseilles.  I  went  to  stay  with 
him  for  three  months,  and  I  took  notes,  very  copious  notes. 
I  talked  to  the  workmen  and  made  myself  conversant  with 
the  whole  subject.  I  intended,  you  understand,  to  make  a 
speech  in  the  Chamber  on  the  matter.' 

In  this  wise  he  tried  to  show  off  before  Rougon,  giving 
himself  a  deal  of  trouble  in  order  to  talk  to  him  on  the  only 


58  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

subjects  which  he  thought  would  interest  him  ;  and,  at  the 
same  time,  being  anxious  to  pass  for  a  sound  pohtician. 

'  And  didn't  you  make  a  speech  ? '  interposed  Clorinde, 
who  seemed  to  be  growing  impatient  of  M.  La  Rouquette's 
presence. 

'  No,  I  didn't,'  he  rephed  ;  '  I  thought  I'd  better  not.  At 
the  last  moment  I  felt  afraid  that  my  figures  might  not  be 
quite  correct.' 

Rougon  eyed  him  keenly  and  then  gravely  asked  him  : 
'  Do  you  know  how  many  pieces  of  sugar  are  consumed  every 
day  at  the  Cafe  Anglais  ?  ' 

For  a  moment  La  Rouquette  seemed  quite  confused  and 
stared  at  the  other  with  a  blank  expression.  Then  he  broke 
into  a  peal  of  laughter.  '  Ah  !  very  good  !  very  good  ! '  he 
cried.  '  I  understand  now.  You  are  chaffing  me.  But  that's 
a  question  of  sugar.  What  I  was  speaking  about  was  a  ques- 
tion of  sugars.  Very  good  that,  eh  ?  You'll  let  me  repeat 
the  joke,  won't  you  ?  ' 

He  wriggled  on  his  chair  with  much  self-satisfaction.  The 
rosy  hue  came  back  to  his  cheeks  and  he  seemed  quite  at 
his  ease  again,  once  more  talking  in  his  natural  light  manner. 
Clorinde  attacked  him  on  the  subject  of  women.  She  had 
seen  him,  she  said,  two  nights  previously  at  the  Varietes  with 
a  little  fair  person  who  was  very  plain  and  had  hair  like  a 
poodle's.  At  first  the  young  man  denied  the  accusation ;  but, 
irritated  by  Clorinde's  cruel  remarks  about  the  '  little  poodle,' 
he  at  last  forgot  himself  and  began  to  defend  her,  saying  that 
she  was  a  highly  respectable  lady  and  not  nearly  so  bad  look- 
ing as  Clorinde  tried  to  make  out.  The  girl,  however,  gi-ew 
quite  scathing,  and  finally  M.  La  Rouquette  cried  out :  '  She's 
expecting  me  now,  and  I  must  be  off.' 

As  soon  as  he  had  closed  the  door  behind  him,  Clorinde 
clapped  her  hands  triumphantly,  and  exclaimed  :  '  There,  he's 
gone  at  last.     Good  riddance  to  him.' 

Then  she  jumped  lightly  from  the  table,  ran  up  to  Rougon, 
and  gave  him  both  her  hands.  Assuming  her  most  winning 
look,  she  expressed  her  regret  that  he  had  not  found  her  alone. 
What  a  lot  of  trouble  she  had  had  to  get  all  those  people  to 
go  !  Some  people  couldn't  understand  anything !  What  a 
goose  La  Rouquette  was  with  his  sugars !  Now,  however, 
there  was  no  one  to  disturb  them,  and  they  could  talk.  She 
had  led  Rougon  to  a  couch  as  she  was  speaking,  and  he  had 
sat  down  without  releasing  her  hands,  when  Luigi  began  to 


MADEMOISELLE   CLORINDE  59 

tap  his  easel  with  his  maul-stick,  exclaiming  in  a  tone  of 
irritation  :  '  Clorinde  !  Clorinde  !  ' 

'  Oh  yes,  of  course,  the  portrait,'  she  cried,  with  a  laugh. 

Then  she  made  her  escape  from  Rougon,  and  hent  down 
behind  the  artist  with  a  soft  caressing  expression.  How 
pretty  his  work  looked,  she  cried.  It  was  very  good  indeed  ; 
but,  really,  she  felt  rather  tired  and  would  much  like  a  quarter 
of  an  hour's  rest.  He  could  go  on  with  the  dress  in  the  mean- 
time. There  was  no  occasion  for  her  to  pose  for  the  dress. 
Luigi,  however,  cast  fiery  glances  at  Rougon,  and  muttered 
disagreeable  words.  Thereupon  Clorinde  hastily  said  some- 
thing to  him  in  Italian,  knitting  her  brows  the  while,  though 
still  continuing  to  smile.  This  reduced  Luigi  to  silence,  and 
he  began  to  pass  his  brush  over  the  canvas  again. 

'  It's  quite  true  what  I  say,'  declared  the  girl  as  she  came 
back  and  sat  down  beside  Rougon  ;  '  my  left  leg  is  quite 
numb.' 

Then  she  slapped  herself  to  make  the  blood  circulate,  she 
explained  ;  and  she  was  bending  towards  Rougon,  her  bare 
shoulder  touching  his  coat,  when  she  suddenly  looked  at  her- 
self and  blushed  deeply.  And  forthwith  she  sprang  up  and 
fetched  a  piece  of  black  lace  which  she  wrapped  around  her. 

'  I  feel  chilly,'  she  said,  when  she  had  wheeled  an  easy 
chair  in  front  of  Rougon  and  sat  down  in  it. 

Nothing  but  her  bare  wrists  now  peeped  out  from  beneath 
her  lace  wrapper,  which  she  had  knotted  round  her  neck. 
Her  bust  was  completely  concealed  in  its  folds,  and  her  face 
had  turned  pale  and  grave. 

'  Well,  W'hat  is  it  that  has  happened  to  you  ? '  she 
exclaimed.     *  Tell  me  all  about  it.' 

Then  she  questioned  him  about  his  fall  from  office  with 
daughterly  curiosity.  She  was  a  foreigner,  she  told  him,  and 
she  made  him  again  and  again  repeat  certain  details  which 
she  said  she  did  not  understand.  She  also  kept  on  interrupt- 
ing him  with  Italian  ejaculations,  and  he  could  read  in  her 
dark  eyes  the  interest  she  took  in  what  he  was  telling  lier. 
Why  had  he  quarrelled  with  the  Emperor  ?  How  could  he 
have  brought  himself  to  give  up  such  a  lofty  position  ?  Who 
were  his  enemies,  that  he  should  have  alloAved  himself  to  be 
worsted  in  that  way  ?  And  as  he  hesitated,  vmwilling  to  make 
the  confessions  which  she  tried  to  extort  from  him,  she  looked 
at  him  with  an  expression  of  such  affectionate  candour,  that 
at  last  he  threw  oft*  all  reserve  and  told  her  the  whole  story 


6o  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

from  beginning  to  end.  She  soon  seemed  to  have  learnt  all 
that  she  wanted  to  know,  and  then  began  to  ask  him  questions 
quite  unconnected  with  the  matter  which  had  first  engaged 
her  attention,  questions  so  singular  that  Rougon  was  altogether 
surprised.  But  at  last  she  clasped  her  hands  and  lapsed 
into  silence.  Closing  her  eyes  she  seemed  buried  in  deep 
thought. 

'  Well  ?  '  said  Rougon,  with  a  smile. 

'  Oh,  nothing,'  she  murmured,  '  but  this  has  made  me 
quite  sad.' 

Rougon  was  touched,  and  tried  to  take  hold  of  her  hands 
again,  but  she  hid  them  away  in  her  lace  wrapper,  and  they 
both  sat  there  in  silence  for  a  minute  or  two,  when  she  opened 
her  eyes  again  and  said  :  '  You  have  formed  some  plans,  I 
suppose  ? ' 

Rougon  looked  at  her  keenly,  with  a  touch  of  suspicion. 
But  she  seemed  so  adorable  as  she  languidly  reclined  in  that 
easy  chair,  as  though  the  troubles  of  her  '  dear  friend  '  had 
broken  her  down,  that  he  dismissed  the  chilling  thought.  More- 
over, she  plied  him  with  flattery.  She  was  sure,  said  she, 
that  he  would  not  long  be  allowed  to  remain  aloof,  but 
would  be  master  again  some  day.  She  was  confident  that 
he  had  high  ambitions  and  trusted  hopefully  in  his  star,  for 
she  could  plainly  read  as  much  on  his  brow.  Why  wouldn't 
he  take  her  for  his  confidante  ?  She  was  very  discreet,  and 
it  would  make  her  so  happy  to  share  his  hopes  for  the  future. 
Rougon,  quite  infatuated  by  all  this,  and  still  trying  to  grasp 
the  little  hands  hidden  away  beneath  the  lace,  thereupon 
kept  nothing  back,  but  confessed  everything  to  the  girl,  his 
hopes  as  well  as  his  certainties.  He  required  no  further 
urging  from  her,  and  she  had  only  to  let  him  talk  on,  refrain- 
ing even  from  a  gesture  for  fear  of  checking  him.  She  kept 
her  eyes  upon  him,  examining  him  searchingly  limb  by  limb, 
fathoming  his  skull,  weighing  his  shoulders  and  measuring 
his  chest.  He  was  certainly  a  solid,  well-built  man,  who, 
with  a  turn  of  his  wrist,  could  have  tossed  her,  strong  as  she 
was,  on  to  his  back  and  have  carried  her  without  the  least 
difficulty  to  whatever  height  she  might  have  desired. 

'  Ah  !  my  dear  friend,'  she  exclaimed  abruptly,  '  it  is  not  I 
who  have  ever  felt  any  doubts.' 

Then  she  sprang  from  her  seat,  and,  spreading  out  her 
arms,  let  the  lace  wrapper  slip  off.  A  momentary  all-alluring 
vision,  a  sort  of  promise  and  reward,  appeared  to  Rougon. 


MADEMOISELLE   CLORINDE  6i 

*  Ah  ! '  she  cried,  '  my  lace  has  fallen,'  and  quickly  picking  it 
up  again,  she  knotted  it  round  her  more  tightly  than  before. 

'  Oh  ! '  she  next  exclaimed,  '  there's  Luigi  growling.' 

Then  she  hastened  back  to  the  artist,  bent  over  him  a 
second  time  and  rapidly  whispered  to  him.  Rougon,  now 
that  she  was  no  longer  by  his  side,  roughly  rubbed  his  hands 
together,  feeling  almost  angry.  That  girl  had  exercised  a 
most  extraordinary  influence  over  him  and  he  resented  it.  If 
he  had  been  a  lad  of  twenty  he  could  not  have  acted  more 
foolishly.  She  had  wheedled  him  into  a  confession  as  though 
he  had  been  a  mere  child  ;  whereas  he,  for  the  last  two 
months,  had  been  doing  his  best  to  make  her  speak,  but  had 
only  succeeded  in  extracting  peals  of  laughter  from  her. 
She,  however,  had  merely  had  to  deny  him  her  little 
hands  for  a  moment,  and  he  had  foolishly  forgotten  all  his 
prudence  and  told  her  everything  in  order  to  gain  possession 
of  them. 

Nevertheless,  Rougon  smiled  a  smile  of  conscious  strength. 
He  could  break  her,  he  told  himself,  whenever  he  liked. 
Wasn't  it  she  herself  who  was  challenging  him  ?  He  cer- 
tainly could  not  go  on  playing  the  part  of  an  imbecile  with 
this  girl  who  so  freely  showed  him  her  shoulders.  He  was 
by  no  means  sure  that  the  lace  wrapper  had  slipped  off  with- 
out her  assistance. 

'  Would  you  say  that  my  eyes  were  grey  ?  '  Clorinde  now 
asked  him,  stepping  towards  him  again. 

He  rose  and  looked  at  her  quite  closely,  but  she  bore  his 
inspection  without  even  her  eyelids  quivering.  However, 
when  he  stretched  forth  his  hands,  she  gave  him  a  tap. 
There  was  no  occasion  to  touch  her.  She  had  become  very 
cold,  now.  She  wrapped  herself  yet  more  closely  in  her 
strip  of  lace,  and  her  modesty  seemed  to  take  alarm  at  the 
least  hole  in  it.  In  vain  did  Rougon  joke  and  jest.  She 
only  covered  herself  the  more,  and  even  refused  to  sit  down 
again. 

'  I  prefer  walking  about  a  Httle,'  she  said ;  *  it  stretches 
my  legs.' 

Then  Rougon  followed  her  and  they  paced  the  room 
together.  He  tried,  in  his  turn,  to  extract  a  confession  from 
her.  As  a  rule,  she  could  not  be  got  to  answer  questions. 
Her  conversation  usually  consisted  of  sudden  starts  and 
jumps,  interspersed  with  ejaculations  and  snatches  of  stories 
which  she  never  finished.     When  Rougon  adroitly  questioned 


62  Ills  EXCELLENCY 

her  concerning  the  fortnight  of  the  previous  month  which  she 
and  her  mother  had  spent  away  from  Paris,  she  started  on  an  in- 
terminable string  of  anecdotes  about  her  journeyings.  Shehad 
been  everywhere,  to  England,  Spain,  and  Germany  ;  and  she 
had  seen  everything.  Then  she  vented  a  series  of  trifling 
remarks  upon  food,  and  the  fashions  and  the  weather.  Now 
and  then  she  began  some  story,  in  which  she  herself  figured 
with  sundry  well-known  persons,  whom  she  named ;  and, 
thereupon,  Eougon  listened  attentively,  hoping  that  she  was 
at  last  going  to  make  some  real  revelation  ;  but  she  either 
turned  the  story  off  into  some  childish  nonsense  or  stopped 
short  and  left  it  unfinished  altogether.  That  day,  as  pre- 
viously, he  learnt  absolutely  nothing.  Her  face  retained 
its  impenetrable  smile,  and  she  remained  full  of  secretive 
reserve  amidst  all  her  boisterous  freedom.  Rougon,  quite 
confused  by  the  difl'erent  extraordinary  stories  he  had  heard 
of  her,  each  of  which  gave  the  lie  to  the  other,  was  utterly 
unable  to  determine  whether  he  had  before  him  a  mere  girl 
whose  innocence  extended  even  to  foolishness,  or  a  keen- 
witted woman  who  cunningly  aftected  simplicity. 

She  was  telling  him  of  an  adventure  that  had  happened 
to  her  in  a  little  town  in  Spain,  and  of  the  gallantry  of  a 
traveller  who  had  given  up  his  room  to  her,  when  she  suddenly 
broke  ofl'  and  exclaimed :  '  You  mustn't  go  back  to  the 
Tuileries.     Make  yourself  missed.' 

'  Thank  you,  Mademoiselle  Machiavelli,'  he  replied,  with 
a  laugh. 

She  laughed  louder  than  he  did,  but  none  the  less  she 
went  on  giving  him  excellent  advice.  However,  as  he  still 
sportively  tried  to  pinch  her  arms,  she  seemed  to  grow  vexed 
and  declared  that  it  was  impossible  to  talk  to  him  seriously 
for  a  couple  of  minutes  together.  Ah  !  if  she  were  a  man,  she 
said,  she  would  know  how  to  mount  high.  But  men  were  so 
light-headed.  '  Come  now  and  tell  me  about  your  friends,' 
she  continued,  seating  herself  on  the  edge  of  the  table,  while 
Rougon  remained  standmg  in  front  of  her. 

Just  then,  however,  Luigi,  who  had  kept  his  eyes  on  them, 
violently  closed  his  paint-box  and  exclaimed  :  '  I'm  going  ! ' 

At  this  Clorinde  ran  up  to  him,  and  brought  him  back, 
after  promising  to  resume  her  pose.  Probably,  however,  her 
only  motive  in  asking  him  to  remain  was  that  she  felt  afraid 
of  being  left  alone  with  Rougon,  for  when  Luigi  had  assented 
to  her  request,  she  began  to  make  further  ej-cuses  for  the 


MADEMOISELLE   CLORLNDE  63 

purpose  of  gaining  time.  '  Just  let  me  get  something  to 
eat,'  she  said;  'I  am  dreadfully  hungry.  Just  a  couple  of 
mouthfuls.'  And  then  opening  the  door,  she  called  out : 
'  Antonia  !  Antonia  !  ' 

She  gave  an  order  in  Italian,  and  had  just  seated  herself 
again  on  the  edge  of  the  table  when  Antonia  came  into  the 
room,  holding  on  each  of  her  outspread  hands,  a  slice  of 
bread  and  butter.  She  held  her  hands  out  to  Clorinde  as 
though  they  had  been  plates,  breaking  into  a  giggle  as  she 
did  so,  a  laugh  which  made  her  mouth  look  like  a  red  gash 
across  her  dusky  face.  Then  she  went  ofl',  wiping  her  hands 
on  her  skirt.  Clorinde,  however,  called  her  back  and  told 
her  to  get  a  glass  of  water. 

'  Will  you  have  some  ?  '  she  said  to  Eougon,  '  I'm  very 
fond  of  bread  and  butter.  Sometimes  I  put  sugar  on  it; 
but  it  doesn't  always  do  to  be  so  extravagant.' 

She  was  certainly  not  given  to  extravagance,  and  Eougon 
remembered  that  he  had  found  her  one  morning  breakfasting 
off  a  fragment  of  cold  omelet  which  had  been  left  over  from 
the  previous  day.  He  rather  suspected  her  of  avarice,  which 
is  an  Italian  vice. 

'  Three  minutes,  eh,  Luigi  ?  '  she  said,  as  she  began  her 
first  slice  of  bread  and  butter.  Then  turning  once  more  to 
Eougon,  who  was  still  standing  in  front  of  her,  she  ex- 
claimed :  '  Now  there's  Monsieur  Kahn,  for  instance  :  tell  me 
about  him.     How  did  he  get  to  be  a  deputy  ?  ' 

Eougon  yielded  to  this  fresh  request,  hoping  that  he 
would  somehow  l)e  able  to  worm  some  information  out  of  the 
girl.  He  knew  that  she  was  very  curious  about  everyone, 
ever  on  the  alert  to  gather  information  concerning  the 
intrigues  in  the  midst  of  which  her  life  was  passed.  She 
always  seemed  particularly  anxious  to  know  the  origin  of  any 
great  fortune. 

'  Oh ! '  he  replied,  with  a  laugh,  '  Kahn  was  born  a 
deputy.  He  cut  his  teeth  on  the  benches  of  the  Chamber. 
As  early  as  Louis  Philippe's  time  he  sat  in  the  Eight  centre 
and  supported  the  constitutional  monarchy  with  youthful 
enthusiasm.  After  1848  he  went  over  to  the  Left  centre, 
still  keeping  very  enthusiastic.  He  made  a  confession  of 
republican  principles  in  magnificent  style.  Now,  however, 
he  has  gone  back  to  the  Eight  centre  and  is  a  passionate 
supporter  of  the  Empire.  As  for  the  rest,  he's  the  son  of  a 
Jewish  banker  at  Bordeaux.     He  has  some  blast  furnaces  at 


64  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

Bressuire,  has  made  a  specialty  of  financial  and  industrial 
questions,  lives  in  a  quiet  way  until  he  comes  into  the  large 
fortune  which  he  will  one  day  secure,  and  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  officer  in  the  Legion  of  Honour  on  the  fifteenth 
of  last  August ' 

Rougon  hesitated  for  a  moment  and  seemed  to  be 
thinking.  '  No,'  he  resumed,  '  I  don't  think  I  have  omitted 
anything.     He  has  no  children.' 

'  What !  is  he  married  ? '  exclaimed  Clorinde,  indicat- 
ing by  a  gesture  that  she  took  no  further  interest  in  M. 
I^ahn.  He  was  an  impostor :  he  had  never  let  them  know 
that  he  had  a  wife.  Eougon  thereupon  explained  to  her  that 
Madame  Kahn  led  a  very  retired  life  in  Paris  ;  and  without 
waiting  to  be  questioned  further,  he  continued :  '  Would  you 
like  to  hear  Bejuin's  biography  ?  ' 

'  No,  no,'  replied  the  girl. 

All  the  same,  however,  he  w^ent  on  with  it.  *  He  comes 
from  the  Polytechnical  School.  He  has  written  pamphlets 
which  nobody  has  read.  He  is  head  of  the  Saint-Florent 
cut-glass  works,  about  seven  or  eight  miles  from  Bourges.  It 
was  the  prefect  of  the  Cher  who  discovered  him ' 

'  Oh,  give  over  1 '  cried  Clorinde. 

'  He  is  a  very  worthy  fellow,  votes  straight,  never  speaks, 
is  very  patient  and  waits  contentedly  till  you  think  of  him, 
but  he  is  always  on  the  spot  to  take  care  that  you  sha'n't 
forget  him.     I  got  him  named  chevalier ' 

Thereupon  Clorinde  impa.tiently  placed  her  hand  over 
Rougon 's  mouth,  and  exclaimed :  '  Oh,  he  is  married  too  ! 
He  isn't  a  bit  interesting.  I  saw  his  wife  at  your  house. 
She's  a  perfect  bundle !  She  invited  me  to  visit  the  works 
at  Bourges.' 

She  now  swallowed  the  last  mouthful  of  her  first  slice  of 
bread  and  butter,  and  then  gulped  down  some  water.  *  And 
Monsieur  Du  Poizat  ?  '  she  asked,  after  a  pause. 

'  Du  Poizat  has  been  a  sub-prefect,'  was  all  that  Rougon 
replied. 

She  glanced  at  him,  sui'prised  by  the  brevity  of  this 
account.     '  I  know  that,'  she  said.     '  What  else  ?  ' 

'  Well,  by-and-bye  he  will  be  a  prefect,  and  then  he  will 
be  decorated.' 

She  saw  that  he  did  not  want  to  say  anything  further 
about  Du  Poizat ;  whose  name,  moreover,  she  herself  had 
merely  mentioned  at  random.     Hgwever,  she  now  began  tg 


MADEMOISELLE   CLORLVDE  65 

mention  other  men,  comiting  their  names  on  her  fingers. 
Touching  her  thumb,  she  began  :  '  Monsieur  d'Escorailles ; 
he's  flippant  and  in  love  with  every  woman — Monsieur  La 
Eouquette ;  he's  no  good,  I  know  him  only  too  well — 
Monsieur  de  Combelot ;  he's  another  married  man ' 

Then,  as  she  stopped  short  at  the  ring-finger,  unable  to 
think  of  another  name,  Rougon,  keeping  his  eyes  on  her, 
remarked  :  '  You  are  forgetting  Delestang.' 

'  So  I  am  ! '  she  exclaimed.     '  Tell  me  about  him  !  ' 

'He's  a  handsome  fellow,'  said  Rougon,  still  watching 
her  attentively.  '  He  is  very  rich,  and  1  have  always  pro- 
phesied a  great  future  for  him.' 

He  went  on  in  this  strain,  exaggerating  his  praises  and 
doubling  his  figures.  The  model-farm  of  La  Chamade,  said 
he,  was  worth  a  couple  of  million  francs.  Delestang  would 
certainly  be  a  minister  some  day.  Clorinde,  however,  curled 
her  lips  disdainfully.     'He  is  a  big  booby,'  she  said  at  last. 

'  What  ?  '  cried  Rougon  with  a  subtle  smile.  He  seemed 
quite  charmed  by  her  remark. 

But  with  one  of  those  sudden  transitions  which  were 
habitual  with  her,  she  asked  him  a  fresh  question,  keenly 
scrutinising  him  in  her  turn  :  '  You  must  know  Monsieur  de 
Marsy  very  well  ?  ' 

'  Oh  yes,  we  know  each  other,'  he  replied  unconcernedly, 
amused  that  the  girl  should  have  asked  him  such  a  question. 
Then  he  became  serious,  and  showed  himself  very  dignified 
and  impartial.  '  Marsy  is  a  man  of  extraordinary  intelli- 
gence,' he  continued.  'I  am  honoured  by  having  such  a 
man  for  my  enemy.  He  has  filled  every  position.  At 
twenty-eight  years  of  age,  he  was  a  colonel.  Later  on,  he 
was  at  the  head  of  a  great  business.  And  since  then,  he  has 
successively  occupied  himself  with  agriculture,  finance  and 
commerce.  I  hear,  too,  that  he  paints  portraits  and  writes 
novels.' 

Clorinde  had  grown  thoughtful,  and  was  forgetting  her 
bread  and  butter.  '  I  was  talldng  to  him  the  other  day,'  she 
said  in  a  low  tone.     '  He's  perfect — a  genuine  queen's  son.' 

'  In  my  estimation,'  continued  Rougon,  '  it  is  his  wit  that 
spoils  him.  My  idea  of  ability  is  quite  different.  I  have 
heard  him  making  puns  under  the  gravest  circumstances. 
Well,  anyhow,  he  has  been  very  successful,  and  is  as  much 
the  sovereign  as  the   Emperor  himself.      All  these  natural 


66  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

children '  are  lucky  fellows.  However,  his  greatest  charac- 
teristic is  his  grip  of  iron  ;  he  has  firm  and  resolute  hands, 
though  they  are  light  and  slender.' 

Clorinde  unconsciously  let  her  eyes  wander  to  Kougon's 
hands,  so  large  and  powerful.  He  noticed  it,  and  with  a 
smile  continued:  'Ah,  mine  are  mere  paws,  aren't  they? 
That's  why  Marsy  and  I  have  never  been  able  to  get  on  well 
together.  He  gallantly  sabres  his  foes  without  soiling  his 
white  gloves,  while  I  knock  mine  down.' 

Thereupon  he  clenched  his  heavy  hairy  fists  and  shook 
them,  seemingly  proud  of  their  enormous  size.  Clorinde  took 
up  her  second  slice  of  bread  and  butter  and  dug  her  teeth 
into  it,  still  absorbed  in  thought.  At  length  she  raised  her 
eyes  to  Kougon's  face.  'And  now  about  yourself?'  she 
asked. 

'  Ah,  you  want  to  hear  my  history,  do  you  ? '  said  he. 
'  Well,  it's  very  easily  told.  My  grandfather  sold  vegetables. 
I  myself,  till  I  was  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  kicked  up  my 
heels  as  a  country  lawyer  in  the  depths  of  the  provinces. 
Yesterday  I  was  unknown,  for  I  haven't,  like  our  friend  Kahn, 
helped  to  back  up  every  Government  in  turn,  and  I  haven't 
come,  like  Bejuin,  from  the  Poly  technical  School.  I  can't 
boast  of  little  Escorailles'  fine  name  or  poor  Combelot's 
handsome  face.  I  haven't  even  as  good  family  connections 
as  La  Rouquette,  who  is  indebted  for  his  seat  in  the  Chamber 
to  his  sister,  the  widow  of  General  de  Llorentz  and  now  a 
lady-in-waiting.  My  father  did  not  leave  me  five  million 
francs  gained  in  the  wine  trade,  as  Delestang's  left  him.  I 
wasn't  born  on  the  steps  of  a  throne,  like  Count  de  Marsy 
was,  nor  have  I  grown  up  tied  to  the  apron-strings  of  a  clever 
woman,  under  the  favour  of  Talleyrand.  No,  I'm  a  self-made 
man  ;  I've  only  my  own  hands ' 

Then  he  clapped  his  hands  together,  laughing  loudly,  and 
turning  what  he  had  said  into  a  joke.  Finally  he  braced 
himself  to  his  full  height  and  looked  as  though  he  were 
crushing  stones  with  his  clenched  fists.  Clorinde  gazed  at 
him  admiringly. 

'  I  was  nothing ;  I  shall  now  be  whatever  I  like,'  he  con- 
tinued, as  though  he  were  speaking  to  himself  and  had 
forgotten  the  presence  of  others.     'I  am  a  power.     Those 

'  Morny  (Marsy),  it  will  be  remembered,  was  the  illegitimate  son  of 
Queen  Hortense,  the  Emperor  Napoleon's  mother.— ScZ. 


MADEMOISELLE    CLORINDE  67 

other  fellows  make  me  shrug  my  shoulders  when  they  prate 
of  their  devotion  to  the  Empire  !  Do  they  really  care  for  it  ? 
Do  they  appreciate  it  ?  Wouldn't  they  conform  to  all  kinds 
of  governments  ?  For  my  own  part,  I  have  grown  up  with 
the  Empire  !  I  have  made  it,  and  it  has  made  me  !  I  was 
named  a  Chevalier  of  the  Legion  of  Honour  after  the  tenth 
of  December,  an  officer  in  January  1851,  a  commander  on  the 
fifteenth  of  August  1854,  and  a  grand  officer  three  months 
ago.  Under  the  Presidency,  I  was  entrusted  for  a  short  time 
with  the  portfolio  of  Public  Works;  later  on  the  Emperor 
gave  me  a  mission  to  England,  and  since  then  I  have  entered 
the  Council  of  State  and  the  Senate ' 

'  And,  to-morrow,  what  will  you  enter  ? '  Clorinde  inter- 
rupted with  a  laugh,  b^y  which  she  tried  to  conceal  her  ardent 
curiosity. 

He  stopped  short  and  looked  at  her.  '  You  are  very 
inquisitive.  Mademoiselle  Macliiavelli,'  he  said. 

Then  Clorinde  began  to  swing  her  legs  more  briskly,  and 
there  was  an  interval  of  silence.  Eougon,  seeing  her  absorbed 
in  a  fresh  reverie,  thought  that  a  favourable  moment  had 

come  for  extorting  a  confession  from  her.     '  Women '  he 

began. 

But  in  a  low  tone  she  interrupted  him,  smiling  at  her  own 
thoughts,  with  a  vague  expression  in  her  eyes  :  '  Oh,  women 
are  quite  different  1  ' 

This  was  all  the  confession  she  made.  She  finished  her 
bread  and  butter  and  drained  her  glass  of  water.  Then  she 
leapt  to  her  feet  on  the  table,  with  a  spring  that  testified  to 
her  adroitness  as  a  horsewoman.     '  Now,  Luigi ! '  she  cried. 

For  the  last  few  minutes  the  artist,  who  had  left  his  seat, 
had  been  impatiently  gnawing  his  moustache  while  irritably 
walking  up  and  down  in  front  of  Eougon  and  Clorinde.  With 
a  sigh,  he  now  sat  down  again  and  took  up  his  palette.  The 
three  minutes'  grace  which  Clorinde  had  asked  for  had 
expanded  into  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Now,  however,  she  was 
again  standing  on  the  table,  still  enveloped  in  her  black  lace. 
When  she  had  set  herself  in  the  proper  attitude,  she  uncovered 
herself  with  a  light  movement  of  the  hand,  and  became  a 
marble  statue  once  more. 

Fewer   carriages   were   now   rolling   along    the    Champs 

Elysees,  over  which  the  declining  sun  cast  a  stream  of  hazy 

light,  enveloping  the  trees  in  a  ruddy  haze  that  might  almost 

have   been  taken  for  a  coating  of   dust  stirred   up  by  the 

r2 


68  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

passing  vehicles.  Cloiinde's  shoulders  gleamed  as  with 
sheeny  gold  in  the  light  that  fell  through  the  lofty  windows. 
The  sky  gradually  became  greyer. 

*Is  Monsieur  de  Marsy's  intended  marriage  with  the 
Wallachian  princess  settled  yet  ?  '  asked  the  girl. 

'  Yes,  I  think  so,'  Eougon  replied.  '  She  is  very  rich,  and 
Marsy  is  always  short  of  money.  And  they  say,  too,  that  he 
is  madly  in  love  with  her.' 

A  spell  of  silence  followed.  Eougon  stayed  on,  perfectly 
at  his  ease,  without  any  further  thought  of  going  away.  He 
was  absorbed  in  meditation,  and  began  to  pace  the  room 
again.  That  Clorinde,  he  said  to  himself,  was  certainly  a 
remarkably  fascinating  creature.  He  thought  of  her  as 
though  he  had  left  her  some  time  ago ;  and,  as  he  walked  up 
and  down,  with  his  eyes  turned  to  the  floor,  his  mind  dwelt 
on  dimly  formulated,  but  very  alluring  thoughts,  from  which 
he  derived  a  tender  pleasure.  He  seemed,  moreover,  to  be 
breathing  some  strangely  perfumed  atmosphere,  and  would 
have  hked  to  throw  himself  upon  one  of  the  couches  and  drop 
off  to  sleep  amidst  that  odorous  air. 

A  sound  of  words  suddenly  recalled  him  to  himself.  A 
tall  old  man,  whose  entrance  he  had  not  observed,  was  kissing 
Clorinde  on  the  brow,  wliile  the  girl  smilingly  stooped  over 
the  edge  of  the  table. 

'  Good-morning,  my  dear,'  said  the  old  gentleman.  '  How 
pretty  you  look !  You  are  exhibiting  your  charms,  I  see.' 
Then  he  gave  a  little  snigger,  and  as  Clorinde  in  confusion 
picked  up  her  lace  wrapper,  he  quickly  added  :  '  No,  no ! 
Y^ou  are  very  nice  as  you  are !  You  needn't  be  afraid 
of  us.' 

Then  he  turned  towards  Eougon,  whom  he  addressed  as 
*  dear  colleague,'  as  he  shook  his  hand.  '  I  dandled  her  many 
a  time  on  my  knees,  when  she  was  a  little  thing,'  he  added. 
'  Ah  !  what  a  dazzling  creature  she  is  now  ! ' 

The  new-comer  was  M.  de  Plouguern.  He  was  seventy 
years  of  age.  A  representative  of  Finistere  in  the  Chamber 
during  the  reign  of  Louis  Philippe,  he  had  been  one  of  those 
Legitimist  deputies  who  made  the  pilgrimage  to  Belgrave 
Square,'  and  he  had  resigned  in  consequence  of  the  vote  of 
censure  then  passed  upon  himself  and  his  companions.  Later 
on,  after  the  Eevolution  of  February  1848,  he  had  manifested 

■^  Charles  X.,  the  exiled  king,  was  then  living  there.— £d. 


MADEMOISELLE   CLORINDE  69 

a  sudden  aflection  for  the  Kepublic,  which  he  vigorously 
applauded  from  the  benches  of  the  Constituent  Assembly. 
Now  that  the  Emperor  had  granted  him  the  well-earned  refuge 
of  the  Senate,  he  was  a  Bonapartist,  But  he  knew  how  to  be 
a  Bonapartist  and  a  man  of  high  birth  and  breeding  at  the 
same  time.  With  all  his  great  humility  he  occasionally 
indulged  in  a  spice  of  opposition.  Ingratitude  amused  him, 
and,  though  he  was  a  sceptic  to  the  backbone,  he  defended 
religion  and  family-life.  He  thought  that  he  owed  that  much 
to  his  name,  one  of  the  most  illustrious  in  Brittany.  Accord- 
ingly every  now  and  then  he  found  the  Empire  immoral,  and 
said  so  openly.  He  himself  had  lived  a  life  of  dissolute  intrigue 
and  elaborate  pleasure-seeking,  and  stories  were  told  even 
of  his  old  age  which  set  young  men  dreaming.  It  was  during 
a  journey  in  Italy  that  he  had  first  met  Countess  Balbi,  whose 
lover  he  had  remained  for  nearly  thirty  years.  After  separa- 
tions, which  lasted  sometimes  for  years,  they  would  comet 
together  for  a  short  time  in  some  town  where  they  happened 
to  meet.  According  to  some,  Clorinde  was  his  daughter ; 
however,  since  the  girl  had  grown  up  and  had  become  a  plump 
and  pretty  young  woman,  he  asserted,  while  gazing  at  her 
with  his  still  glistening  eyes,  that  he  had  known  her  father 
well  in  former  days.  At  the  same  time  he  treated  her  with 
considerable  freedom  as  being  an  old  friend.  This  tall, 
withered,  scraggy  old  Plouguern  bore  some  resemblance  to 
Voltaire  ;  and  the  likeness  was  the  source  of  much  secret 
pleasure  to  him. 

'  You  don't  look  at  my  portrait,  godfather,'  Clorinde  said 
to  him  all  at  once. 

She  called  him  godfather  by  reason  of  their  intimacy. 
The  old  man  stepped  behind  Luigi,  and  screwed  up  his  eyes 
with  the  air  of  a  connoisseur.     '  Splendid ! '  he  exclaimed. 

Rougon  also  came  up,  and  Clorinde  herself  jumped  off  the 
table  to  get  a  better  view.  All  three  of  them  were  delighted. 
The  picture  was  excellent,  they  said.  The  artist  had  already 
covered  the  entire  canvas  with  a  thin  coating  of  pink  and 
white  and  yellow,  as  pale  as  though  it  were  a  mere  water- 
colour  wash.  The  face  was  wreathed  into  a  pretty  dollish 
smile,  the  lips  were  curved  into  a  bow,  and  the  eyebrows 
symmetrically  arched,  while  the  cheeks  gloAved  with  soft  ver- 
milion. It  was  a  Diana,  fit  for  the  lid  of  some  box  of 
sweetmeats. 

'  Oh,  just  look  at  that  httle  freckle  close  to  the  eye  1 '  cried 


70  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

Clorinde,  clapping  her  hands  in  admiration  :  'Luigi  forgets 
nothing  !' 

Eoiigon,  whom  pictures  generally  wearied,  was  charmed. 
Just  then  he  appreciated  art,  and  in  a  tone  of  earnest  con- 
viction he  pronounced  this  judgment :  '  It  is  admirably 
drawn.' 

'  And  the  colouring  is  excellent,'  added  M.  de  Plouguern. 
'  Those  shoulders  look  like  real  flesh.  And  what  arms  !  But 
the  dear  child  has  really  got  the  most  wonderful  arms  !  I 
admire  that  full  roundness  below  the  bend  of  the  arm  im- 
mensely ;  it  is  perfect.'  Then,  turning  to  the  artist,  he 
added  :  '  Pray  accept  my  compliments,  Monsieur  Pozzo.  I 
have  already  seen  a  picture  of  a  woman  bathing  by  you.  But 
this  portrait  will  certainly  excel  it.  Why  don't  you  exhibit  ? 
I  knew  a  diplomatist  who  played  marvellously  well  upon  the 
violin,  and  yet  it  didn't  prevent  him  from  attaining  great 
success  in  his  profession.' 

Luigi  bowed,  feehng  highly  flattered.  The  daylight  was 
now  fast  waning,  and  so,  saying  that  he  wnshed  to  finish  an 
ear,  he  begged  Clorinde  to  resume  her  position  for  another 
ten  minutes.  Meantime,  M.  de  Plouguern  and  Rougon  went 
on  discussing  art.  The  latter  confessed  that  his  special 
studies  had  prevented  him  from  following  the  artistic  move- 
ment of  recent  years,  but  he  expressed  great  admiration  for 
fine  productions.  He  went  on  to  say  that  he  was  not  much 
affected  by  colour,  but  preferred  good  drawing — drawing  which 
was  capable  of  elevating  the  soul  and  inspiring  it  with  great 
thoughts.  M.  de  Plouguern,  on  his  side,  only  cared  about 
the  old  masters.  He  had  visited  all  the  galleries  in  Europe, 
and  could  not  understand,  said  he,  how  the  moderns  had  the 
hardihood  to  go  on  painting.  All  the  same,  he  confessed  that 
only  the  previous  month  he  had  had  a  little  room  of  his 
decorated  by  an  artist  who  was  quite  unknown,  but  who 
certainly  possessed  great  genius. 

'  He  has  painted  me  some  little  cupids  and  flowers  and 
foliage  with  extraordinary  skill.  You  might  positively  think 
you  could  pluck  the  flowers.  And  there  are  some  insects  on 
them,  butterflies,  cockchafers,  and  flies,  which  you  could 
almost  swear  were  alive.  It  is  very  amusing.  I  like  amusing 
pictures.' 

'  Art  should  not  weary  one,'  retorted  Rougon. 

Just  at  this  moment,  as  they  were  slowly  pacing  the  room 


MADEMOISELLE   CLORINDE  71 

side  by  side,  one  of  M.  de  Plouguern's  boot-heels  crushed 
something  which  gave  out  a  sharp  sound. 

'  Hallo  !  What's  that  ?  '  he  cried. 

Then  he  picked  up  a  chaplet,  which  had  slipped  off  an 
arm-chair  into  which  Clorinde  had  doubtless  emptied  her 
pockets.  One  of  the  glass  beads  near  the  cross  had  been 
shivered  to  atoms,  and  an  arm  of  the  cross  itself,  a  very  small 
silver  one,  was  bent  and  flattened.  The  old  man  dangled  the 
chaplet  in  his  hand,  and  said  with  a  slight  snigger :  '  My 
dear,  why  do  you  leave  these  playthings  of  yours  lying 
about  ?  ' 

Clorinde,  however,  had  turned  quite  crimson.  She  sprang 
off  the  table,  with  swollen  lips,  and  tears  of  anger  welling  into 
her  eyes,  and,  as  she  rapidly  covered  up  her  shoulders,  she 
stammered  :  *  Oh,  the  wretch  !  the  wretch  !  he  has  broken 
my  chaplet ! ' 

She  snatched  it  from  him,  and  then  burst  into  sobs  like  a 
child. 

'  There !  there  ! '  said  M.  de  Plouguern,  still  laughing. 
'  Just  look  at  my  little  devotee  !  The  other  day  she  nearly 
tore  my  eyes  out  because  I  noticed  a  branch  of  palm  over  her 
bed  and  asked  her  what  she  used  that  little  besom  for. 
There  now,  don't  cry,  you  great  goose  !  I  haven't  broken 
your  Divinity.' 

'  Yes,  yes,'  she  cried, '  you  have  injured  it.'  With  trembling 
hands  she  removed  the  fragments  of  the  bead,  and  then,  with 
a  fresh  outburst  of  sobs,  she  tried  to  put  the  cross  right  again. 
She  wiped  it  with  her  finger  tips,  as  though  she  saw  drops 
of  blood  oozing  through  the  metal. 

'  It  was  the  Pope  who  gave  me  this,'  she  sobbed,  '  the  first 
time  I  went  with  mother  to  see  him.  He  knows  me  very 
well,  and  he  calls  me  his  "  fair  apostle,"  because  I  told  him 
one  day  that  I  should  be  glad  to  die  for  him.  It  was  a 
chaplet  that  brought  me  good  luck.  But  now  it  has  lost  its 
virtue,  and  it  will  attract  the  devil ' 

*  Here,  give  it  to  nie  I  '  interrupted  M.  de  Plouguern, 
'  you  will  only  break  your  nails  by  trying  to  straighten  it. 
Silver  is  hard,  my  dear.' 

He  took  the  chaplet  from  her  and  tried  to  straighten  the 
arm  of  the  cross,  using  great  care  so  as  not  to  break  it. 
Clorinde  had  ceased  crying,  and  watched  him  attentively. 
Rougon,  too,  smilingly  craned  his  head  forward.  He  was 
deplorably  irreligious  ;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  the  girl  had 


72  ms  EXCELLENCY 

twice  all  but  broken  with  him  on  account  of  his  ill-considered 
pleasantries. 

'  The  deuce  ! '  muttered  M.  de  Plouguern,  '  this  divinity  of 
yours  isn't  very  tender  I  I'm  afraid  of  snapping  it  in  two, 
and  then  you  would  have  to  get  another  one.' 

He  made  a  fresh  attempt  and  this  time  the  arm  of  the 
cross  broke  off.  '  Oh  !  so  much  the  worse  ! '  he  cried  ;  '  it  is 
broken  this  time.' 

At  this  Rougon  began  to  laugh  again.  But  Clorinde, 
with  angry  eyes  and  convulsed  face,  sprang  back  glaring  at 
them,  and  then  fell  upon  them  furiously  with  her  fists,  as 
though  she  wished  to  drive  them  out  of  the  room.  She  railed 
at  them  in  Italian,  quite  beside  herself. 

'  She's  giving  it  us !  she's  giving  it  us ! '  cried  M.  de 
Plouguern  gaily. 

'  Such  are  the  fruits  of  superstition,'  muttered  Eougon 
between  his  teeth. 

The  old  man  ceased  his  jesting  and  suddenly  assumed  a 
grave  expression ;  and  then  as  Rougon  continued  to  declaim 
in  conventional  phraseology  against  the  detestable  influence 
of  the  priesthood,  the  shocking  training  of  Catholic  women, 
and  the  degradation  of  priest-ridden  Italy,  the  other  drily 
exclaimed  :    '  Religion  makes  the  greatness  of  states.' 

'  When  it  doesn't  eat  them  away  like  an  ulcer,'  replied 
Rougon.  *  It's  matter  of  history.  If  the  Emperor  doesn't 
keep  the  Bishops  in  check,  he  will  soon  have  them  all  on  his 
back.' 

Thereupon  M.  de  Plouguern  in  his  turn  grew  angry.  He 
defended  Rome,  and  talked  of  what  had  been  the  convictions 
of  his  whole  life.  Without  religion,  he  protested,  men  would 
return  to  the  condition  of  brutes.  Then  he  went  on  to  plead 
the  great  cause  of  family  ties.  The  times  were  becoming  full 
of  abomination.  Never  before  had  vice  been  so  impudently 
paraded  ;  never  before  had  impiety  worked  such  woe  in  men's 
consciences. 

'  Don't  talk  to  me  of  your  Empire  ! '  he  ended  by  crying  ; 
'  it  is  the  bastard  son  of  the  Revolution.  Oh  !  we  are  quite 
aware  that  your  Empire  dreams  of  humiliating  the  Church. 
But  we  are  wide- awake,  and  we  shall  not  allow  ourselves  to 
be  slaughtered  like  anere  sheep.  Just  try  to  ventilate 
those  doctrines  of  yours  in  the  Senate,  my  dear  Monsieur 
Rougon.' 

'  Oh,  don't  talk  to  him  any  more,'  retorted  Clorinde.     *  If 


MADEAfOISELLE   CLORINDE  73 

you  push  him  too  far,  he  will  spit  on  the  crucifix.  He  is 
doomed.' 

Eougon  bowed,  quite  overcome  by  this  onset.  Then 
there  was  a  fresh  pause,  while  the  girl  searched  on  the  floor 
for  the  arm  that  had  fallen  from  the  cross.  When  she  had 
found  it,  she  carefully  wrapt  it  with  the  chaplet  in  a  piece  of 
newspaper.     She  was  growing  calmer. 

'  Ah  now,  my  dear  !  '  M.  de  Plouguern  suddenly  exclaimed, 
'  I  haven't  told  you  why  I  came  to  see  you.  I  have  got  a 
box  at  the  Palais  Eoyal  for  this  evening,  and  I'm  going  to 
take  you  and  your  mother  with  me.' 

'  Oh,  you  dear  godfather !  '  cried  Clorinde,  turning  quite 
rosy  again  with  pleasure.  '  I'll  send  to  have  mother 
awakened.' 

Then  she  gave  the  old  man  a  kiss,  by  way  of  reward,  she 
said  ;  and  afterwards  turning  to  Rougon  with  a  smile,  and, 
offering  her  hand,  she  said  with  the  sweetest  little  pout : 
'  You  don't  bear  me  a  grudge,  do  you  ?  Please  don't  make 
me  angry  again  with  your  pagan  talk.  I  lose  my  head  when 
anyone  makes  fun  of  religion  :  I  should  quarrel  with  my  best 
friends  over  it.' 

Luigi  had  by  this  time  pushed  his  easel  into  a  corner, 
having  lost  all  hope  of  getting  the  ear  finished  that  day. 
He  took  up  his  hat,  and  tapped  the  girl  on  the  shoulder  to 
apprize  her  of  his  departure.  She  accompanied  him  on  to 
the  landing,  closing  the  door  behind  her  as  she  left  the  room. 
However,  they  took  leave  of  one  another  very  noisily,  for  a 
slight  scream  of  Clorinde's  rang  out,  drowned  in  a  burst  of 
smothered  laughter.  When  she  returned  to  the  room,  she 
said  :  '  I'll  go  to  dress  now,  unless  my  godfather  would  like 
to  take  me  to  the  Palais  Royal  as  I  am.' 

They  all  laughed  at  the  notion.  It  was  now  dusk. 
When  Rougon  took  his  leave,  Clorinde  went  downstairs  with 
him,  leaving  M.  de  Plouguern  by  himself  while  she  went  to 
dress.  It  was  already  dark  on  the  staircase  as  Clorinde 
descended  it  in  front  of  Rougon  without  speaking  a  word, 
and  so  slowly  that  he  felt  the  rustle  of  her  gauze  costume. 
When  she  reached  the  door  of  her  bedroom  she  took  a  step 
or  two  forward  before  turning  round.  Rougon  had  followed 
her  to  the  threshold.  '  You  won't  bear  me  a  grudge,  will 
you  ?  '  she  repeated  in  a  low  tone,  again  offering  him  her 
hands. 

He  assured  her  that  he  would  not ;  but  as  he  once  more 


U  I^IS  EXCELLENCY 

took  hold  of  her  hands  his  grip  was  so  rough,  so  threatening 
almost,  that  Clorinde  made  all  haste  to  escape  from  him,  and 
while  he  stood  panting  there  he  heard  her  calling  through  an 
inner  door  which  had  been  left  open  :  '  Antonia,  bring  a  light 
and  get  me  my  grey  dress.' 

When  Rougon  reached  the  avenue  of  the  Champs  Elysees 
he  felt  dazed,  and  stood  still  for  a  moment  to  inhale  the  fresh 
breeze  which  was  blowing  doAvn  from  the  Arc  de  Triomphe. 
The  gas-lamps  of  the  avenue,  where  now  not  a  vehicle  re- 
mained, were  being  lighted  one  by  one,  spangUng  the  dark- 
ness with  a  trail  of  vivid  sparks.  Rougon  felt  as  if  he  had 
just  had  an  apoplectic  fit,  and  rubbed  his  face  with  his  hands. 

'Ah,  no!'  he  suddenly  exclaimed  aloud,  'no,  no — it 
would  be  too  foolish  1  * 


IV 

AN   IMPERIAL   CHRISTENING 

The  baptismal  procession  was  to  start  from  the  Pavilion  de 
I'Horloge — the  central  pavilion  of  the  Tuileries  palace — at 
five  o'clock.  It  was  to  wend  its  way  along  the  main  avenue 
of  the  Tuileries  gardens,  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  the  Rue  de 
Rivoli,  the  Place  de  I'Hotel  de  Ville,  the  Arcole  bridge,  the 
Rue  d'Arcole  and  the  Place  du  Parvis. 

By  four  o'clock  there  was  an  immense  crowd  assembled 
near  the  Arcole  bridge.  There,  in  the  breach  which  the  river 
made  in  the  midst  of  the  city,  a  whole  people  could  find 
accommodation.  The  view  expanded,  with  the  He  Saint 
Louis  in  the  distance  barred  by  the  black  line  of  the  Louis- 
Phihppe  bridge.  The  narrow  arm  of  the  Seine  on  the  left 
vanished  amid  a  mass  of  low  buildings  ;  while  the  broader 
one  on  the  right  afforded  a  far-reaching  prospect  bathed  in 
purplish  vapour,  through  which  the  trees  of  the  Port  aux 
Vins  showed  in  a  green  patch.  On  both  sides  of  the  river, 
from  the  Quai  Saint  Paul  to  the  Quai  de  la  Megisserie,  from 
the  Quai  Napoleon  to  the  Quai  de  I'Horloge,  were  long  foot- 
pavements  and  roadways ;  while,  in  front  of  the  bridge,  the 
Place  de  I'Hotel  de  Ville  afforded  a  large,  open,  level  space. 
And  over  all  the  wide  expanse,  the  sky,  a  bright,  warm  June 
sky,  spread  a  vault  of  blue. 


AN  IMPERIAL   CHRISTENING  75 

When  the  half  hour  struck,  there  were  people  everywhere. 
All  along  the  footways  endless  lines  of  eager  spectators  were 
pressed  against  the  quay  parapets.  A  sea  of  human  heads, 
which  was  continually  surging,  filled  the  Place  de  I'Hotel  de 
Ville.  Opposite,  in  the  dark  gaps  of  the  open  windows  of  the 
old  houses  on  the  Qua!  Napoleon,  faces  were  thickly  crowding, 
and  even  in  the  gloomy  alleys  leading  to  the  river,  the  Pme 
Colombe,  the  Eue  Saint  Landry  and  the  Rue  Glatigny, 
women's  caps,  with  ribbons  streaming  in  the  breeze,  could  be 
seen  leaning  forward.  The  bridge  of  Notre  Dame  displayed 
a  serried  row  of  sight- seers,  whose  elbows  rested  on  the 
stone  parapet,  as  on  the  balustrade  of  some  colossal  balcony. 
Further  down,  the  Louis  Philippe  bridge  swarmed  with  little 
black  figures  ;  and  even  the  most  distant  windows  streaking 
the  grey  and  yellow  house-fronts  were  every  now  and  then 
brightened  by  some  gay  dress.  There  were  men  on  the  roofs 
among  the  chimney  stacks.  People,  who  could  not  be  dis- 
tinguished, were  looking  through  telescopes  from  their  terraces 
on  the  Quai  de  la  Tournelle.  And  the  sunlight  spreading 
over  all  seemed  like  the  very  quiver  of  the  crowd  ;  it  bore  afar 
the  laughter  of  those  surging  heads,  while  gay,  mirror-like 
parasols  reflected  the  glow,  showing  as  planets  amidst  all  the 
medley  of  skirts  and  coats. 

But  there  was  one  thing  that  was  visible  from  every  side, 
from  the  quays  and  bridges  and  windows,  and  that  was  a 
fresco  painting  of  a  colossal  grey  overcoat  on  the  blank  wall 
of  a  six-storeyed  house  on  the  isle  of  St.  Louis.  The  sleeve 
of  this  coat  was  bent  at  the  elbow  as  though  the  garment  still 
retained  the  shape  and  attitude  of  a  body  that  had  disappeared 
from  within  it.  In  the  bright  sunshine,  above  all  the  swarming 
sight-seers,  this  gigantic  advertisement  presented  a  most  con- 
spicuous appearance.' 

A  double  hne  of  troops  kept  the  roadway  clear  for  the^ 
procession.  National  Guards  were  drawn  up  on  the  right 
band,  and  infantrymen  of  the  Line  on  the  left.  At  one  end, 
this  military  cordon  expended  to  the  Rue  d'Arcole,  which  was 
gaudy  with  banners,  while  from  the  windows  hung  costly 
draperies  which  flapped  languidly  against  the  dingy  house- 
fronts.      The   bridge,    to  which    the    crowd    had   not    been 

'  The  idea  of  this  clothier's  advertisement — ha  Redingote  grise — 
was  derived  from  the  circumstance  that  Napoleon  I.  wore  a  grey  over- 
coat, like  the  one  depicted,  during  his  last  campaigns. — Ed. 


76  ^rs   EXCELLENCY 

admitted,  was  the  oiu^  ciccc.;  3pot  amrdst  the  general  invasion, 
and  it  presented  a  strange  appearance,  thus  deserted.  But, 
lower  down,  on  the  river  banks,  the  crowding  began  again. 
Shopkeepers  in  Sunday  clotlies  had  spread  out  their  pocket- 
hnndkerchiefs  and  seated  themselves  beside  their  wives  to 
rest  after  a  whole  afternoon  of  lounging  idleness.  On  the 
other  side  of  the  bridge,  where  the  river  expanded,  showing  a 
deep  blue  shot  with  green  just  where  its  arms  united,  there 
were  some  boatmen  in  red  jackets  who  were  working  their 
oars  to  keep  their  boat  on  a  level  with  the  Port  aux  Fruits. 
By  the  Quai  de  Gevres,  too,  there  was  a  floating  laundry,  with 
wooden  walls  green  with  moisture,  in  which  washerwomen 
could  be  heard  laughing  and  beating  their  clothes.  And  all 
the  teeming  sight-seers,  numbering  from  three  to  four  hundred 
thousand  people,  now  and  again  raised  their  heads  to  glance 
at  the  towers  of  Notre  Dame  which  rose  up  square  and  mas- 
sive above  the  houses  of  the  Quai  Napoleon.  Gilded  by  the 
declining  sun,  so  that  they  looked  ruddy  against  the  clear  sky, 
the  towers  resounded  with  the  clanging  peals  of  their  bells, 
which  sent  a  quiver  through  the  atmosphere. 

Three  or  four  false  alarms  had  already  caused  a  great  deal 
of  jostling  in  the  crowd. 

'  I  tell  you  that  they  won't  pass  before  half- past  five,'  said 
a  tall  fellow  who  was  sitting  in  front  of  a  cafe  on  the  Quai  de 
Gevres  with  M.  and  Madame  Charbonnel. 

It  was  Gilquin,  Theodore  Gilquin,  Madame  M^lanie 
Correur's  old  lodger,  and  Rougon's  redoubtable  friend.  He 
was  dressed  that  day  in  a  complete  suit  of  yellow  duck,  a 
cheap  ready-made  line,  stained  and  creased,  and  here  and  there 
unsewn  at  the  scams.  His  boots,  too,  were  split,  and  his  straw 
hat  lacked  a  ribbon.  However,  he  wore  tan  coloured  gloves, 
and  for  that  reason  considered  that  he  was  in  full  dress.  He 
had  been  acting  since  noon  as  a  guide  to  the  Charbonnels, 
whose  acquaintance  he  had  made  one  evening  in  the  kitchen 
at  Rougon's  house. 

'You  shall  see  everything,  my  children,'  he  said  to  them, 
as  he  brushed  aside  the  long  black  moustaches  which  swept 
across  his  tipsy-looking  face.  '  You  have  put  yourselves  in 
my  hands,  haven't  you  '?  Very  well,  then  let  me  manage  our 
little  holiday.' 

Gilquin  had  already  drunk  three  nips  of  brandy  and  five 
glasses  of  beer.  For  the  last  two  hours  he  had  been  keeping 
the  Charbonnels  prisoners  at  the  cafe,  whither  he  had  brought 


AN  IMPERIAL    CHRISTENING  77 

them,  on  the  pretext  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  be 
in  good  time.  It  was  a  little  cafe  with  which  he  was  well 
acquainted,  and  where  they  would  be  very  comfortable,  he 
assured  them,  and  he  seemed  to  be  on  most  familiar  terms  with 
the  waiter.  The  Charbonnels  had  resigned  themselves  to 
their  fate,  and  listened  to  his  talk,  feeling  much  surprised  at 
its  abundance  and  variety.  Madame  Charbonnel  had  decUned 
to  take  anything  beyond  a  glass  of  e,au  sucree,  and  M. 
Charbonnel  had  ordered  for  himself  a  glass  of  anisette,  such 
as  he  occasionally  indulged  in  at  the  Commercial  Club  at 
Plassans.  Meanwhile  Gilquin  discoursed  to  them  about  the 
Baptism  as  explicitly  as  though  he  had  spent  the  morning  at 
the  Tuileries  for  the  purpose  of  acquiiing  information. 

'  The  Empress  is  in  very  high  spirits,'  he  said.  '  She  got 
over  her  delivery  splendidly.  She's  a  fine  woman  !  You  will 
see  by-and-bye  what  a  figure  she  has.  The  Emperor  got  back 
from  Nantes  on  the  day  before  yesterday.  He  went  there  on 
account  of  the  floods.  What  a  dreadful  calamity  those  floods 
are !  ' 

Madame  Charbonnel  pushed  her  chair  back.  She  was 
beginning  to  feel  rather  afraid  of  the  crowd  which  was  stream- 
ing past  her  in  increasing  numbers.  '  What  a  lot  of  people  ! ' 
she  muttered. 

'  Yes,  indeed,'  cried  Gilquin,  '  I  should  think  so.  There 
are  more  than  three  hundred  thousand  visitors  in  Paris.  Ex- 
cursion trains  have  been  bringing  them  here  for  the  last  week 
from  all  parts  of  the  country.  See,  over  yonder  there  are 
some  people  from  Normandy,  and  there  are  some  from 
Gascony,  and  some  from  Franche-Comte.  I  can  spot  them  at 
once  ;  I've  knocked  about  a  good  deal  in  my  time.' 

He  next  told  them  that  the  courts  and  the  Bourse  were 
closed,  and  that  all  the  clerks  in  the  government  offices  had 
got  a  holiday.  The  whole  capital  was  holding  festival  in 
honour  of  the  Baptism.  Then  he  began  to  quote  figures,  and 
calculate  what  the  ceremony  and  rejoicings  would  cost.  The 
Corps  Legislatif  had  voted  400,000  francs,'  but  that  was  a 
mere  nothing,  for  a  groom  at  the  Tuileries  had  informed  him 
that  the  procession  alone  would  cost  nearly  200,000.  If  the 
Emperor  got  ofl'  with  a  million  from  the  civil  list,  he  might 
think  himself  lucky.  The  layette  alone  had  cost  100,000 
francs. 

1,000  frs.  =  £40. 


78  HIS  EXCELLENCE 

'  What,  100,000  francs  !  '  cried  Madame  Charbonnel  in 
amazement.  '  Why,  how  can  they  have  possibly  spent  all 
that  ?     What  can  it  have  gone  in  ?  ' 

Gilquin  laughed  as  he  told  her  that  some  laces  cost  an 
enormous  sum.  He  himself  had  travelled  in  the  lace  business 
in  former  days.  Then  he  went  on  with  his  calculations : 
60,000  francs  had  gone  to  the  parents  of  children  who  had 
been  born  on  the  same  day  as  the  little  prince,  and  of  whom 
the  Emperor  and  Empress  had  expressed  their  intention  to  be 
godfather  and  godmother  respectively.  Then  85,000  francs 
were  to  be  spent  in  purchasing  medals  for  the  authors  of  the 
cantatas  which  were  sung  at  the  theatres.  Finally,  there  were 
120,000  commemorative  medals  distributed  among  the  colle- 
gians, the  pupils  of  the  primary  schools  and  asylums  and  the 
non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  of  the  army  of  Paris.  He 
had  got  one  of  those  medals  himself,  and  showed  it  to  them. 
It  was  about  the  size  of  a  half- franc  piece,  and  bore  on  one 
side  the  profiles  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  and  on  the 
other  that  of  the  Prince  Imperial,  with  the  date  of  the  latter's 
baptism,  namely,  June  14,  1856. 

'  Would  you  mind  selling  it  me  ?  '  M.  Charbonnel  inquired 
of  Gilquin. 

The  other  expressed  his  willingness  to  do  so,  but  as 
Charbonnel,  embarrassed  as  to  what  he  should  offer  for  it, 
handed  him  a  twenty-sous-piece,  he  declined  it,  saying  that 
the  medal  was  not  worth  more  than  ten  sous.  Madame 
Charbonnel,  meanwhile,  was  gazing  at  the  profiles  of  the 
imperial  couple,  and  seemed  quite  affected  by  emotion  :  '  How 
good  they  look  !  '  she  said.  '  There  they  are,  side  by  side, 
like  an  affectionate  pair.  See,  Monsieur  Charbonnel,  you 
would  say  two  heads  lying  on  the  same  pillow  when  you  look 
at  them  this  way.' 

Then  Gilquin  returned  to  the  subject  of  the  Empress,  of 
whose  charitable  disposition  he  spoke  in  the  most  laudatory" 
terms.  But  a  short  time  before  her  delivery  she  had  devoted 
whole  afternoons  to  furthering  the  establishment  of  an  educa- 
tional institute  for  poor  girls  in  the  Faubourg  Saint  Antoine. 
Moreover,  she  had  just  refused  to  accept  an  offering  of  80,000 
francs  which  had  been  collected  in  sums  of  five  sous  amongst 
the  poorer  classes  for  the  purpose  of  buying  a  present  for  the 
young  prince  ;  and  by  her  express  desire  the  money  was  to  be 
devoted  to  the  apprenticing  of  a  hundred  poor  orphans. 
Gilquin,  who  was  already  somewhat  tipsy,  twisted  his  eyes 


AN  IMPERIAL    CHRISTENING  79 

about  in  tlie  most  dreadful  manner  as  he  sought  for  tender 
phrases  and  expressions  which  should  combine  the  respect  of 
the  subject  with  the  passionate  admiration  of  the  man.  He 
declared  that  he  would  gladly  offer  up  his  life  in  sacrifice  at 
the  feet  of  that  noble  woman.  And  nobody  protested  against 
this.  The  murmur  of  the  crowd  seemed  indeed  like  a  distant 
echo  of  his  praises.  It  was  now  growing  into  a  continuous 
clamour,  while  over  the  house-tops  from  the  bells  of  Notre 
Dame  rolled  peal  on  peal  of  clanging,  tumultuous  joy. 

'  Don't  you  think  it  time  for  us  to  go  and  take  our  places? ' 
timidly  suggested  M.  Charbonnel,  who  felt  tired  of  sitting 
still. 

At  this  Madame  Charbonnel  rose  up  and  fastened  her 
yellow  shawl  about  her  neck.  '  Yes,  I'm  sure  it  is,'  she  said. 
'  You  wanted  to  be  there  in  good  time,  and  we're  sitting  here 
and  letting  everyone  go  past  us.' 

Gilquin,  however,  became  indignant ;  and,  wdth  an  oath, 
brought  his  fist  down  on  the  little  zinc  table.  Didn't  he 
know  all  about  Paris  ?  he  asked ;  and  then,  as  Madame 
Charbonnel  timidly  dropped  upon  her  chair  again,  he  cried  to 
the  waiter  :  '  Jules,  a  glass  of  absinthe  and  some  cigars  ! ' 

But  as  soon  as  he  had  dipped  his  big  moustaches  in  the 
absinthe,  he  angrily  called  the  waiter  back  again.  '  Are  you 
having  a  game  with  me  ?  Just  take  this  filth  away,  and  give 
me  some  out  of  the  other  bottle  ;  the  same  as  I  had  on  Friday. 
I  have  travelled  in  the  liquor-trade,  my  fine  fellow.  You 
can't  bamboozle  me.' 

He  calmed  down,  however,  when  the  waiter,  who  seemed 
afraid  of  him,  had  brought  the  other  bottle,  and  then  he 
tapped  the  Charbonnels  on  the  shoulders,  and  called  them 
'  old  fellow  '  and  '  old  lady.'  '  Ah  !  so  you're  itching  to  be  on 
the  move,  are  you,  old  lady  ?  '  said  he.  '  You'll  have  plenty 
of  use  for  your  feet  between  now  and  to-night,  so  you  needn't 
be  in  a  hurry.  We're  very  comfortable  at  this  cafe ;  don't 
you  think  so,  old  fellow  ?  We  can  take  our  ease  and  watch 
the  people  go  by.  We've  plenty  of  time,  I  assure  you,  so 
you'd  better  order  something  else.' 

'  Thank  you,  we've  had  all  that  we  want,'  said  M.  Char- 
bonnel. 

Gilquin  had  just  lighted  a  cigar.  He  leaned  backin  his 
chair,  inserted  his  thumbs  in  the  arm-holes  of  his  waistcoat, 
thrust  out  his  chest,  and  began  to  rock  himself  backwards 
and  forwards.     His  eyes  glowed  with  an  expression  of  perfect 


8o  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

content.  Suddenly  an  idea  seemed  to  strike  him.  '  I'll  tell 
you  what,'  he  cried ;  '  I'll  call  for  you  at  seven  o'clock 
to-morrow  morning,  and  take  you  off  with  me  and  show  you 
all  the  festivities.     We'll  have  a  splendid  day  of  it.' 

The  Charbonnels  looked  at  each  other  very  uneasily.  But 
Gilquin  proceeded  to  explain  his  programme  after  the  manner 
of  a  strolling  showman.  In  the  morning  they  would  lunch 
at  the  Palais  Eoyal,  and  walk  about  the  city.  In  the  after- 
noon they  would  go  to  the  Esplanade  of  the  Invalides,  where 
there  would  be  military  performances,  greasy  poles,  three 
hundred  balloons  laden  with  packets  of  sweets,  and  one  large 
balloon  raining  down  sugared  almonds.  In  the  evening  they 
would  dine  at  a  wineshop  which  he  knew  of,  on  the  Quai  de 
Billy;  then  they  would  see  the  fireworks,  the  principal  set- 
piece  of  which  would  represent  a  baptistery,  and  afterwards 
they  could  stroll  among  the  illuminations.  And  he  also  told 
them  of  a  fiery  cross  which  was  to  be  fixed  on  the  Hotel  de  la 
Legion  d'Honneur  ;  of  a  fairy  palace  on  the  Place  de  la 
Concorde,  in  the  building  of  which  950,000  pieces  of  coloured 
glass  had  been  used ;  and  of  the  image  atop  of  the  tower  of 
Saint  Jacques,  which  would  look  like  a  blazing  torch  in  mid- 
air. 

As  the  Charbonnels  still  hesitated,  however,  he  leaned 
towards  them  and  added  in  lower  tones  :  '  And  then,  as  we  come 
back,  we  might  look  in  at  a  creamery  in  the  Rue  de  Seine 
where  they  give  you  such  stunning  onion  soup  with  cheese.' 

At  this  the  Charbonnels  no  longer  dared  to  refuse.  Child- 
ish curiosity  and  alarm  mingled  in  the  expression  of  their 
dilated  eyes.  They  felt  that  they  could  not  escape  from  that 
terrible  man,  and  must  do  whatever  he  told  them.  Madame 
Charbonnel  simply  murmured  :  '  Oh  !  this  Paris  !  this  Paris  ! 
Well,  well,  since  we  are  here,  I  suppose  we  must  see  all  that 
there  is  to  be  seen.  But  if  you  only  knew.  Monsieur  Gilquin, 
how  quiet  we  were  at  Plassans  !  I  have  a  store-room  full  of 
preserves  and  brandied  cherries  and  pickles  which  are  all 
mouldering  away  ! ' 

'  Don't  alarm  yourself,  old  lady,'  replied  Gilquin,  who  was 
growing  more  and  more  familiar  ;  '  when  you  gain  your  case, 
you  can  ask  me  to  come  and  stay  with  you,  and  then  we'll  all 
have  a  go  at  the  jam-pots  !  ' 

So  saying,  he  poured  himself  out  another  glass  of  absinthe. 
He  was  now  perfectly  tipsy.  For  a  moment  he  looked  at 
the  Charbonnels  with  loving  affection  ;  but,  all  at  once,  he 


AN  IMPERIAL    CHRISTENING  8i 

sprang  to  his  feet  and  waved  his  long  arms  while  calling  : 
'  Eh  !  eh  !     Hallo  !  you  there  !  ' 

Madame  Melanie  Correur,  arrayed  in  a  dress  of  dove- 
coloured  silk,  was  just  then  passing  on  the  opposite  footwalk. 
She  turned  her  head  and  seemed  extremely  annoyed  at  seeing 
Gilquin.  However,  she  crossed  over  with  the  majestic  gait  of 
a  princess,  but  on  reaching  the  table  required  a  deal  of  press- 
ing before  she  would  accept  any  refreshment. 

'  Come  now,'  cried  Gilquin,  '  have  a  little  glass  of  black- 
currant brandy.  I  know  ypu  like  it.  You  haven  t  forgotten 
the  Kue  Vanneau,  eh  ?  We  used  to  have  fine  times  then, 
didn't  we  '?     Ah  !  that  big  old  stupid  of  a  Correur  ! ' 

Just  as  Madame  Correur  was  at  last  sitting  down,  a  loud 
shouting  was  heard  among  the  crowd.  The  promenaders 
scuttled  off  like  sheep,  as  though  swept  along  by  a  gust  of 
wind.  The  Charbonnels  had  instinctively  risen  with  the  idea 
of  following  the  others,  but  Gilquin's  heavy  hand  brought 
them  to  their  chairs  again.     His  face  was  quite  purple. 

'  Just  keep  still  and  wait  for  orders,  will  you  ?  '  said  he. 
'  Those  folks  are  making  fools  of  themselves.  It  is  only  five 
o'clock,  isn't  it  ?  Well,  then,  it's  the  Cardinal-Legate  who's 
coming ;  and  we  don't  want  to  see  the  Cardinal-Legate,  do 
we  ?  For  my  part,  I  think  it's  very  neglectful  of  the  Pope  not 
to  have  come  himself.  When  a  man  is  a  godfather  he  ought 
to  behave  as  such,  it  seems  to  me.  However,  I  tell  you  that 
the  youngster  won't  be  here  for  another  half-hour.' 

His  intoxication  was  rapidly  depriving  him  of  all  sense  of 
decorum.  He  had  cocked  his  chair  back  and  begun  to  smoke 
in  people's  faces,  winking  the  while  at  the  women  and  glaring 
defiantly  at  the  men.  A  few  yards  away,  near  the  bridge  of 
Notre  Dame,  there  was  now  a  block  in  the  road  traffic. 
Horses  were  pawing  the  ground  with  impatience,  and  the 
uniforms  of  high  functionaries  and  officers,  embroidered  with 
gold  and  glittering  with  decorations,  appeared  at  the  windows 
of  the  passing  carriages. 

'  There's  a  nice  show  of  tinsel  and  pewter  ! '  sneered 
Gilquin,  with  the  smile  of  a  man  who  cares  nothing  for  gew- 
gaws. 

However,  as  a  brougham  came  along  from  the  Qu  i  de  la 
IMegisserie,  he  almost  upset  the  table  as  he  sprang  up  and 
cried  :  '  Hallo,  Rougon  !  ' 

He  saluted  the  great  man  with  his  gloved  hand,  and  then, 
fearing  that  he  had  not  been  recognised,  snatched  off  his  straw 

Q 


82  ffIS  EXCELLENCY 

hat  and  began  to  wave  it.  At  this,  Eougon,  whose  senatorial 
uniform  was  attracting  a  deal  of  notice,  quickly  withdrew 
to  a  corner  of  his  brougham.  And  thereupon  Gilquin  began 
to  call  him,  raising  his  hand  to  his  mouth  and  using  it  as  a 
speaking-trumpet.  The  people  on  the  footway  stopped  and 
turned  to  see  what  was  the  matter  with  this  strange-looking 
fellow  dressed  in  yellow  duck.  At  last,  however,  the  coach- 
man was  able  to  urge  his  horse  forward,  and  the  brougham 
turned  on  to  the  bridge  of  Notre  Dame. 

'  Do  be  quiet ! '  said  Madame  Qorreur  in  a  low  voice,  while 
catching  hold  of  Gilquin's  arms. 

But  he  would  not  at  once  sit  down  again.  He  remained 
on  tip-toes,  watching  the  brougham  as  it  mingled  with  the 
other  carriages,  and  at  last  he  hurled  a  parting  shout  after 
the  fleeing  wheels :  '  Ah  !  the  turn-tail !  just  because  he 
wears  gold  lace  on  his  coat  now  !  All  the  same,  my  fat 
fellow,  you  were  deucedly  hard  up  once  upon  a  time  !  * 

Some  middle-class  citizens  and  their  wives  who  were 
sitting  at  the  seven  or  eight  tables  of  the  little  cafe  heard 
this  and  opened  their  eyes  in  astonishment.  At  one  table 
there  was  a  family,  consisting  of  the  father  and  mother  and 
three  children,  who  seemed  profoundly  interested  in  Gilquin's 
proceedings.  The  latter  puffed  himself  out,  quite  delighted  to 
find  that  he  had  an  audience.  He  let  his  eyes  travel  round 
the  customers  of  the  cafe,  and  said  in  a  loud  voice  as  he 
dropped  into  his  seat  again  :  '  Eougon  !  why  it  was  I  who 
made  him  what  he  is  !  ' 

Then  turning  to  Madame  Correur,  who  was  trying  to 
quiet  him,  he  appealed  to  her  for  corroboration.  She  knew 
that  he  was  speaking  the  truth,  he  proclaimed.  It  had  all 
happened  at  the  Hotel  Vanneau  in  the  Rue  Vanneau.  She 
surely  wouldn't  deny  that  he  had  lent  Rougon  his  boots  a 
score  of  times  to  enable  him  to  go  to  the  houses  of  highly- 
placed  people  and  mix  in  a  lot  of  mysterious  goings-on. 
Why,  in  those  days  Rougon  only  possessed  an  old  pair  of 
split  shoes,  which  a  rag-picker  wouldn't  have  taken  as  a  gift. 
Then  with  a  triumphant  air  Gilquin  bent  towards  the  family 
at  the  next  table,  and  exclaimed  :  '  Oh,  she  won't  confess  it, 
but  it  was  she  who  paid  for  his  first  pair  of  new  boots  in 
Paris.' 

Madame  Correur,  however,  turned  her  chair  round,  so 
that  she  might  no  longer  seem  to  be  one  of  Gilquin's  party. 
The  Charbonnels  had  become  quite  pale  at  hearing  the  man 


A  AT  IMPERIAL    CHRISTENING  S3 

who  was  to  put  half  a  milHon  francs  in  their  pockets  spoken 
of  in  such  a  fashion.  Gilquin,  however,  was  wound  up,  and 
rattled  off  innumerable  stories  of  Rougon's  early  days.  He, 
Gilquin,  claimed  to  be  a  philosopher,  and  he  began  to  laugh, 
and  accosted  the  parties  at  the  different  tables  one  after 
another,  smoking,  spitting,  and  drinking,  while  telling  them 
that  he  was  quite  accustomed  to  the  ingratitude  of  mankind, 
and  was  satisfied  with  preserving  his  own  self-respect.  And 
he  repeated  that  he  himself  had  been  the  making  of  Rougon, 
At  that  time,  he  said,  he  had  been  a  traveller  in  the  per- 
fumery line,  but  the  Republic  was  bad  for  trade.  Both  he 
and  Rougon  had  been  living  on  the  same  floor  in  a  state  of 
starvation.  Then  he  was  struck  with  the  idea  of  getting 
Rougon  to  send  for  some  olive -oil  from  a  producer  at 
Plassans,  and  they  had  both  wandered  about  Paris  in 
different  directions  till  ten  o'clock  at  night  with  samples  of 
olive-oil  in  their  pockets.  Rougon  was  not  clever  at  the 
business,  but  he  occasionally  succeeded  in  getting  some  good 
orders  from  the  fine  folks  to  whose  houses  he  went  in  the 
evenings. 

Ah  !  that  rascal  Rougon,  he  was  a  bigger  booby  than  a 
goose  in  most  things,  yet  all  the  same  he  was  very  cunning. 
A  little  later,  how  he  had  made  him,  Gilquin,  run  about  to 
further  his  politics  !  Here  Gilquin  lowered  his  voice  a  little 
and  winked,  and  let  them  know  that  he  himself  had  belonged 
to  the  Bonapartist  band.  He  had  haunted  the  low  dancing- 
rooms  crying  out  '  Long  live  the  Republic '  ;  for  it  was 
necessary  to  profess  Republicanism  to  get  influence  over  the 
people.  The  Empire  certainly  owed  him  a  big  debt  for  what 
he  had  done  ;  but  it  hadn't  even  thanked  him.  No,  while 
Rougon  and  his  clique  shared  all  the  prizes,  he  was  turned 
out  of  doors  like  a  mangy  dog.  Well,  on  the  whole,  he 
preferred  that  it  should  be  so,  he  would  rather  remain  inde- 
pendent. He  had  only  one  regret  now,  and  that  was  that  he 
had  not  stuck  to  the  Republicans  and  made  an  end  of  all  this 
scum  with  his  musket. 

'  It's  just  the  same,  too,  with  little  Du  Poizat,'  he  said  in 
conclusion.  '  He  pretends  not  to  know  me  now  ;  a  skinny 
little  beggar  to  whom  I've  often  given  a  pipe  of  tobacco ! 
And  yet  he's  a  sub-prefect  now  !  Why  I've  often  seen  him 
with  big  Amehe,  who  used  to  box  his  ears  and  kick  him 
outside  the  door  when  he  didn't  behave  properly.' 

After  this  he  became  silent  for  a  moment  as  if  overcome 

q3 


84  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

by  tender  recollections  amidst  his  maudlin  fit.  Then,  glancing 
round  at  his  audience,  he  began  again. 

'  Well,  you've  just  seen  Rougon.  I'm  as  tall  a  man  as  he 
is,  and  I'm  the  same  age,  and  I  flatter  myself  that  I've  got  a 
better  looking  head  on  my  shoulders.  Well,  now,  don't  you 
think  that  it  would  be  much  better  for  everyone  if  I  were  in 
that  carriage  instead  of  that  great  fat  pig,  with  his  body 
covered  all  over  with  gold  lace  ?  ' 

However,  just  at  this  moment  such  a  shouting  arose  on 
the  Place  de  I'Hotel  de  Ville,  that  the  people  at  the  cafe 
became  much  too  excited  to  reply.  The  crowd  made  another 
rush ;  men's  legs  flew  along,  while  women  caught  up  their 
petticoats  to  enable  themselves  to  run  the  faster.  As  the 
shouting  came  nearer  and  grew  more  distinct,  Gilquin 
cried  out : 

'  Ah  !  here  comes  the  youngster  !  Hurry  up  and  pay  the 
score,  old  man,  and  then  follow  me  all  of  you !  ' 

Madame  Correur  grasped  his  yellow  duck  coat  so  as  not 
to  lose  him,  and  IMadame  Charbonnel  panted  along  close 
behind,  while  her  husband  was  almost  lost  in  the  crowd. 
Gilquin,  by  much  resolute  pushing,  managed  to  open  a 
passage  through  the  dense  throng,  making  such  a  show  of 
authority  that  people  drew  back  even  at  the  most  crowded 
parts.  When  he  at  last  reached  the  quay,  he  lifted  the 
ladies  with  an  effort,  and  seated  them  on  the  parapet,  with 
their  legs  dangling  over,  on  the  water  side,  and  this  in  spite 
of  their  little  shrieks  of  alarm.  He  himself  and  M.  Charbonnel 
remained  standing  behind. 

'  Well,  my  little  dears,  you're  in  the  front  boxes  now,'  he 
said,  to  reassure  the  women  ;  '  don't  be  frightened,  we'll  take 
hold  of  your  waists.' 

Thereupon  he  slipped  both  arms  round  Madame  Correur' s 
plump  figure.  She  smiled  at  him.  It  was  impossible  to  got 
angry  with  such  a  jovial  fellow.  As  yet,  however,  they  could 
see  nothing.  The  Place  de  I'Hotel  de  Ville  was  full  of 
surging  heads,  and  echoed  with  continuous  cheering.  Hats 
were  waving  in  the  distance,  held  aloft  by  hands  which  were 
indistinguishable,  and  forming  a  huge  black  billow  which 
slowly  rolled  nearer  and  nearer.  Then  the  occupants  of  the 
houses  on  the  Quai  Napoleon,  which  fronted  the  Place,  began 
to  show  signs  of  excitement.  They  leant  out  of  the  windows, 
crowding  against  each  other,  with  beaming  faces,  and  arms 
Qutstretched  to  call  attention  to  something  in  the  directioa 


AN  IMPERIAL    CHRISTENING  85 

of  the  Eue  de  Eivoli.  For  three  minutes,  which  seemed  very 
long,  however,  the  bridge  still  remained  empty.  The  bells  of 
Notre  Dame  were  ringing  louder  than  ever,  as  though  in  some 
wild  fit  of  joyful  excitement. 

Suddenly  the  anxious  multitude  beheld  a  company  of 
trumpeters  upon  the  empty  bridge.  There  was  a  great  sigh 
of  expectation.  Behind  the  trumpeters  and  the  mounted 
band  which  followed  them,  came  a  general,  escorted  by  his 
staff.  Then,  behind  squadrons  of  carabineers,  dragoons  and 
hussars,  followed  the  state-carriages.  There  were  eight  of 
them,  each  drawn  by  six  horses.  In  those  that  came  first  sat 
the  ladies-in-waiting,  the  chamberlains,  the  officers  of  the 
household  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  and  the  ladies  in 
attendance  upon  the  Grand  Duchess  of  Baden,  who  had  been 
deputed  to  represent  the  young  prince's  godmother.  Gilquin, 
without  letting  go  his  hold  of  Madame  Correur,  told  her  from 
behind  that  the  godmother,  the  Queen  of  Sweden,  had  not 
put  herself  out  any  more  than  the  godfather  had  done.  Then, 
as  the  seventh  and  eighth  carriages  went  past,  he  told  her  the 
names  of  those  who  occupied  them,  with  a  glibness  which 
bespoke  great  familiarity  with  court  matters.  Those  two 
ladies,  he  said,  were  the  Princess  Mathilde  and  the  Princess 
Marie.  Those  three  gentlemen  were  King  Jerome,  Prince 
Napoleon  and  the  Crown  Prince  of  Sweden.  The  lady  with 
them  was  the  Grand  Duchess  of  Baden.  Meanwhile,  the 
procession  swept  on  slowly.  The  equerries  and  aides-de-camp 
and  gentlemen-in-waiting  all  rode  with  short  reins  to  keep 
their  horses  at  a  walk. 

'  But  where  is  the  baby  ?  '  asked  Madame  Charbonnel  im- 
patiently. 

'  Oh  !  don't  be  frightened,'  said  Gilquin,  with  a  laugh  ; 
*  they  haven't  put  him  under  a  seat.  Wait  a  little  and  you'll 
see  him.' 

So  saying,  he  tightened  his  grasp  round  Madame  Correur, 
who  allowed  him  to  do  so,  she  explained,  because  she  was 
afraid  of  slipping  into  the  water.  Then,  growing  enthusiastic 
over  the  display,  he  continued,  while  his  eyes  glistened 
brightly  :  '  Isn't  it  really  splendid  ?  See  how  they  take  their 
ease,  the  rascals,  in  their  satin-quilted  coaches !  And  to 
think  that  I  worked  for  all  this  !  ' 

Then  he  began  to  puff  himself  out  as  though  the  proces- 
sion, the  crowd  and  everything  that  was  to  be  seen  owed  their 
origin  to  him.     However,  after  the  temporary  lull,  caused  by 


86  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

the  appearance  of  the  first  carriages,  there  came  a  tremendous 
uproar.  It  was  upon  the  quay  itself  now  that  hats  were 
waving  over  the  surging  heads  of  the  crowd.  Six  imperial 
outriders,  wearing  green  liveries  and  round  caps,  from  which 
dangled  large  gold  tassels,  had  made  their  appearance  on  the 
bridge.  Then  at  last  the  Empress's  carriage  came  in  sight. 
It  was  drawn  by  eight  horses  ;  and  at  each  of  its  four  corners 
there  was  a  magnificent  lamp.  Large  and  rounded,  panelled 
almost  entirely  with  glass,  this  coach  resembled  a  huge 
crystal  casket  with  gold  settings,  mounted  upon  golden  wheels. 
Inside  it,  amidst  a  cloud  of  snowy  lace,  one  could  clearly  dis- 
tinguish the  rosy  face  of  the  Prince  Imperial,  carried  upon  the 
knees  of  the  Governess  of  the  Children  of  France,  by  whose 
side  sat  the  wet  nurse,  a  young,  handsome,  and  buxom  Bur- 
gundian.  Then  a  short  distance  behind,  following  a  group  of 
mounted  equerries  and  grooms  on  foot,  came  the  Emperor's 
carriage,  which  also  was  drawn  by  eight  horses,  and  was  as 
magnificent  as  the  previous  one.  In  it  sat  the  Emperor  and 
Empress,  who  bowed  to  the  people  as  they  passed.  Beside 
these  two  last  carriages  rode  several  marshals  of  France,  who, 
without  sign  of  impatience,  let  all  the  dust  from  the  wheels 
settle  on  their  richly  broidered  uniforms. 

'  Just  fancy  if  the  bridge  were  to  break  down  ! '  exclaimed 
Gilquin  with  a  grin.  He  was  fond  of  indulging  in  the  most 
awful  suppositions. 

Madame  Correur,  frightened  at  the  thought  of  such  a 
thing,  tried  to  stop  him,  but  he  would  dwell  on  the  subject, 
remarking  that  iron  bridges  were  never  safe.  He  even 
asserted  that  he  could  see  the  platform  oscillating  when  the 
two  carriages  were  but  half-way  across.  What  a  splash,  he 
continued ;  if  papa  and  mamma  and  baby  went  down  they 
would  get  such  a  drink  as  would  keep  them  from  ever  wanting 
another !  The  carriages,  however,  rolled  softly  and  silently 
over  the  bridge,  and  the  frame- work  of  the  gently-curving 
arch  was  so  light  that  they  looked  almost  as  though  suspended 
in  space  over  the  river,  in  whose  blue  depths  they  were 
reflected  like  strange  gold-fishes,  carried  up  by  the  flow  of  the 
tide.  The  Emperor  and  Empress,  feeling  a  little  tired, 
leaned  back  against  the  buttoned  satin,  glad  to  escape  the 
crowd  for  a  moment  and  the  necessity  of  bowing  to  it.  The 
Governess,  too,  took  advantage  of  the  stretch  of  empty  space 
to  raise  the  little  prince,  who  was  slipping  from  her  knees, 
while  the  nurse,  leaning  forward,  amused  him  with  a  smile. 


AN  IMPERIAL    CHRISTENING  87 

The  whole  procession  was  steeped  in  bright  sunshine.  The 
uniforms,  the  ga,y  gowns,  and  the  horse-trappings  shone 
out  brilhantly,  Avhile  the  sparkling  plauet-hke  co:iches  cast 
tremulous  beams  of  reflected  sunlight  along  the  fronts  of  the 
dingy  houses  on  the  Quai  Napoleon.  In  the  distance,  above 
the  bridge,  the  colossal  advertisement  of  the  giant  grey  over- 
coat, painted  on  the  wall  of  a  six-storeyed  house,  and  now 
illumined  with  radiant  splendour  by  the  sun,  formed  a  sort 
of  background  to  the  magnificent  picture, 

Gilquin  noticed  the  overcoat  just  as  it  towered  above  the 
two  carriages.  '  Look  !  '  he  cried,  '  there's  the  uncle  '  over 
yonder !  ' 

A  laugh  ran  through  the  surrounding  crowd.  M.  Char- 
bonnel,  who  did  not  catch  the  point,  wanted  to  have  it  ex- 
plained to  him,  but  his  request  was  drowned  by  the  deafen- 
ing cheering  and  clapping  of  hands  that  arose  from  the  three 
hundred  thousand  people  there  pressed  together.  A  mighty 
thrill  of  enthusiasm  had  sped  through  the  mass  of  sight-seers 
as  the  little  prince,  followed  by  the  Emperor  and  Empress, 
came  into  sight  on  the  middle  of  the  bridge,  of  which  they 
had  a  full,  unbroken  view.  Men  rose  on  tiptoe,  and  set  their 
dazed  youngsters  astride  their  necks,  while  women  wept  or 
stammered  out  expressions  of  love  for  '  the  little  darling,' 
showing  a  heartfelt  sympathy  with  the  happiness  of  the 
imperial  parents.  A  storm  of  shouts  still  rolled  on  from  the 
Place  de  1' Hotel  de  Ville  ;  and  upon  the  quays,  both  up  and 
down  the  river,  there  was  a  forest  of  waving,  outstretched 
arms.  Handkerchiefs  fluttered  from  the  windows,  and  men 
and  women  craned  forward  with  glistening  eyes  and  gaping 
mouths.  Away  in  the  distance  the  windows  of  the  lie  Saint 
Louis,  which  looked  like  narrow  streaks  of  charcoal,  were 
lighted  up  with  white  gleams  and  evidences  of  life  too  far 
away  to  be  clearly  distinguished.  However,  the  boatmen  in 
red  jackets  stood  up  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  where  the  cur- 
rent swept  them  along,  and  shouted  their  loudest,  while  the 
washerwomen,  leaning  out  of  the  windows  of  the  floating 
laundry,  waved  their  bare  arms  excitedly,  and,  in  their  desire 
to  be  heard,  dealt  blow  after  blow  with  their  beetles  till  they 
nearly  broke  them. 

'  There,  it's  all  over  ! '  exclaimed  Gilquin  ;  '  let  us  be  off.' 

The   Charbonnels,  however,  wanted  to   see   the   end   of 

'  Napoleon  L 


S8  ms  EXCELLENCY 

everything.  The  tail  of  the  procession— squadrons  of  Cent 
Gardes,  cuirassiers  and  carabineers— was  pkxnging  into  the 
Kue  d'Arcole.  Then  there  came  a  scene  of  dreadful  con- 
fusion. In  several  places  people  broke  through  the  double 
line  of  National  Guards  and  regulars,  and  women  began  to 
scream. 

'  Come  along  I  come  along !  '  repeated  Gilquin.  '  We 
shall  be  crushed  to  death  !  ' 

When  he  had  deposited  the  ladies  on  the  footway,  he 
made  them  cross  the  road  in  spite  of  the  crowd.  Madame 
Correur  and  the  Charbonnels  had  wanted  to  keep  near  the 
parapet,  so  as  to  make  their  way  to  the  bridge  of  Notre  Dame 
and  see  what  was  happening  on  the  Place  du  Parvis.  But 
Gilquin  would  not  hear  of  it,  and  dragged  them  after  him. 
When  they  once  more  reached  the  little  cafe,  he  gave  them  a 
push  and  made  them  sit  down  again  at  the  table  which  they 
had  recently  left. 

'  What  perverse  creatures  you  are  ! '  he  cried.  •  Do  you 
suppose  that  I  want  to  have  my  feet  crushed  by  all  those 
louts  ?  We'll  have  something  to  drink,  we  will !  We  are 
much  better  off  here  than  in  that  crush.  We've  had  enough 
sight-seeing.  It  was  beginning  to  get  wearisome.  Com-C,  old 
lady,  what  will  you  drink  ?  ' 

The  Charbonnels,  upon  whom  he  kept  his  perturbing  eyes, 
began  to  make  timid  objections.  They  would  have  liked  to 
see  the  procession  leave  the  church.  But  Gilquin  assured 
them  that  it  would  be  best  to  give  the  crowd  time  to  disperse, 
and  that  he  would  take  them  to  the  church  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  if  the  crush  was  not  too  thick.  However,  while  he  was 
telling  Jules  to  bring  a  supply  of  cigars  and  beer,  Madame 
Correur  prudently  made  her  escape.  *  Well,  stay  and  rest 
yourselves  a  httle,'  she  said  to  the  Charbonnels.  '  You  will 
find  me  over  yonder  by-and-bye.' 

She  made  her  way  to  the  bridge  of  Notre  Dame  and  then 
into  the  Eue  de  la  Cite.  But  the  crush  there  was  still  so 
great  that  it  took  her  a  good  quarter  of  an  hour  to  reach  the 
Eue  de  Constantine.  At  last  she  made  a  cut  through  the 
Eue  de  la  Licorne  and  the  Eue  des  Trois  Canettes,  and  in  this 
way  emerged  upon  the  Place  du  Parvis,  after  losing  at  the 
ventilator  of  a  suspicious  house  one  of  the  flounces  of  her 
dove-coloured  dress.  Eound  the  square,  strewn  with  sand 
and  flowers,  stood  tall  masts,  from  which  hung  banners  bearing 
the  imperial  arms.    In  front  of  the  church  a  vast  tent-shaped 


AN  IMPERIAL   CHRISTENING  89 

porch  draped  the  stonework  with  curtains  of  crimson  velvet, 
lia'sing  fringes  and  tassels  of  gold. 

Here  Madame  Correnr  was  checked  by  a  body  of  troops 
who  kept  back  the  crowd.  In  the  middle  of  the  space  fi-om 
which  the  public  had  been  excluded,  footmen  were  pacing  up 
and  down  beside  the  carriages,  which  were  drawn  up  in  five 
rows,  their  coachmen  still  occupying  their  seats  and  holding 
their  reins.  As  Madame  Correur  craned  her  head  forward  in 
the  hope  of  findmg  some  gap  through  which  she  might  pass, 
she  caught  sight  of  Du  Poizat  quietly  smoking  a  cigar  in  a 
corner  of  the  square  among  some  of  the  footmen. 

'  Don't  you  think  you  could  get  me  in  ?  '  she  asked  him, 
when  she  had  attracted  his  attention  by  waving  her  hand- 
kerchief. 

Du  Poizat  went  and  spoke  to  an  officer,  and  then  led 
Madame  Correur  in  front  of  the  church. 

'  If  you'll  take  my  advice,'  he  said  to  her,  '  you'll  stay  here 
with  me.  It's  perfectly  packed  inside.  I  was  nearly  suffo- 
cated myself,  and  so  I  came  out.  See,  there  are  Colonel 
Jobelin  and  IMonsieur  Bouchard,  who  have  given  up  all  hope 
of  finding  room.' 

She  looked  and  saw  the  two  men  on  her  left,  near  the 
Rue  du  Cloitre  Notre  Dame.  M.  Bouchard  was  saying  that 
he  had  just  left  his  wife  in  charge  of  M.  d'Escorailles,  who 
had  an  excellent  seat  for  a  lady  at  his  disposal,  while  the 
colonel's  chief  regret  seemed  to  be  that  he  was  not  able  to 
explain  the  ceremony  to  his  son  Auguste. 

'  I  much  wished  to  show  him  the  famous  vase,'  he  said. 
'  It  is,  as  you  know,  the  genuine  vase  of  Saint  Louis — a  vase 
of  copper,  damascened  and  ornamented  with  niello  work  in  the 
mjst  perfect  Persian  manner.  It  is  a  relic  of  the  times  of 
the  Crusades,  and  has  been  used  at  the  christenings  of  all  our 
kings  ever  since.' 

*  Did  you  see  all  the  insignia  ? '  M.  Bouchard  asked  Du 
Poizat. 

*  Yes,'  replied  the  latter.  '  Madame  de  Llorentz  was 
carrying  the  chrisom.' 

Then  he  entered  into  details.  The  chrisom  was  the 
christening  cloth,  a  fact  of  which  neither  of  the  men  had 
been  aware.  But  Du  Poizat  went  on  to  enumerate,  not  only 
the  insignia  of  the  Prince  Imperial,  the  chrisom,  the  candle 
and  the  salt-cellar,  but  the  insignia  of  the  godfather  and  god- 
mother, the  basin,  the  ewer  and  the  towel,  all  of  which  were 


90  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

carried  by  ladies-in-waitiiig.  Then  there  was  also  the  little 
prince's  mantle,  a  most  magnificent  and  wonderful  mantle, 
which  was  hung  over  an  arm-chair  near  the  font, 

'  Isn't  there  really  the  smallest  corner  where  I  could 
squeeze  myself  ? '  cried  Madame  Correur,  in  whom  all  these 
details  had  roused  a  fever  of  curiosity. 

Then  they  told  her  of  all  the  great  state  bodies  and  high 
officials  and  innumerable  deputations  that  they  had  seen  pass. 
It  was  an  almost  endless  procession,  they  said  ;  the  Diplo- 
matic body,  the  Senate,  the  Corps  Legislatif,  the  Council  of 
State,  the  Supreme  Court,  the  Exchequer  Court,  the  Appeal 
Court,  the  Tribunals  of  Commerce  and  of  First  Instance ;  to 
say  nothing  of  the  ministers,  the  prefects,  the  mayors  and 
their  deputies,  the  academicians,  the  general  officers,  and  a 
host  of  others,  including  even  delegates  from  the  Jewish  and 
Protestant  consistories. 

'  Oh  !  what  a  splendid  sight  it  must  be  ! '  Madame  Correur 
exclaimed  with  a  sigh, 

Du  Poizat  shrugged  his  shoulders.  He  was  in  a  very  bad 
humour.  All  those  people  bored  hirn,  he  said,  and  he  seemed 
irritated  by  the  length  of  the  ceremony.  How  much  longer 
would  they  be  ?  They  had  sung  the  Yeni  Creator  and  had 
censed  themselves  and  walked  about  and  saluted  one  another. 
Surely  the  child  must  be  christened  by  this  time  ! 

Meanwhile  M,  Bouchard  and  the  colonel  manifested 
greater  patience  and  examined  the  decorated  windows  of  the 
square  ;  then,  as  a  sudden  peal  of  the  bells  shook  the  towers, 
they  turned  their  heads  and  quivered  uneasily  at  their  close 
proximity  to  the  huge  church,  whose  summit  they  could  not 
even  discern  in  the  sky.  However,  Auguste  had  slipped 
towards  the  porch,  whither  Madame  Correur  followed  him. 
But  when  she  reached  the  great  door,  which  was  wide  open, 
the  magnificent  sight  she  beheld  kept  her  rooted  to  the 
ground. 

Between  the  two  great  curtains  of  the  porch  the  church 
appeared  like  a  vision  of  some  superhuman  temple.  The 
vaulted  arches,  of  a  soft  blue,  were  spangled  with  stars. 
Around  this  wondrous  firmament  the  stained-glass  windows 
gleamed  like  mystic  planets,  sparkling  with  burning  jewels. 
From  the  lofty  pillars  on  all  sides  hung  drapery  of  crimson 
velvet,  which  still  further  shut  the  daylight  out  of  the  usually 
dim  nave  ;  and  in  the  centre  of  this  roseate  twilight  there 
blazed  a  multitude  of  tapers — thousands  of  tapers — so  closely 


AN  IMPERIAL   CHRISTENING  91 

crowded  that  they  seemed  like  a  great  sun  flaming  out  amidst 
a  rain  of  stars.  This  blaze  was  that  of  the  altar,  set  on  a 
platform  in  the  centre  of  the  transept.  Thrones  were  placed 
on  the  right  and  left  of  it.  Over  the  higher  of  the  two  thrones 
a  spreading  canopy  of  velvet  lined  with  ermine  showed  like  a 
huge  bird  with  snowy  breast  and  purple  wings.  The  church 
was  filled  with  a  glittering  crowd,  bright  with  gold  and  jewels. 
Near  the  altar  a  group  of  clergy,  bishops  witli  mitres  and 
croziers,  formed,  as  it  were,  a  glory,  one  of  those  dazzHng 
splendours  which  suggest  heaven  itself.  Around  the  altar 
princes,  princesses  and  great  dignitaries  were  ranged  in 
sovereign  pomp  and  circumstance.  Then  tiers  of  seats  had 
been  set  up  in  the  arms  of  the  transept,  for  the  Diplomatic 
body  and  the  Senate,  on  the  right,  and  for  the  Corps  Legislatif 
and  the  Council  of  State  on  the  left ;  while  representative 
bodies  of  every  kind  crowded  the  rest  of  the  nave,  and  ladies 
displayed  their  bright,  variegated  gowns  in  the  galleries  above. 
A  sanguineous  haze  floated  over  everything.  The  heads  which 
showed  in  tiers  on  all  sides  had  the  roseate  hue  of  painted 
porcelain.  The  dresses,  the  satin  and  silk  and  velvet,  glowed 
with  a  dull  splendour  as  though  they  aa'ouM  soon  burst  into  a 
blaze.  Eows  of  people  suddenly  seemed  to  flare.  The  whole 
deep  church  was  hke  some  wondrous  furnace. 

Then  Madame  Correur  saw  an  assistant  master  of  the 
ceremonies  advance  to  the  centre  of  the  choir,  where  he  thrice 
shouted  energetically :  '  Long  live  the  Prince  Imperial !  Long 
live  the  Prince  Imperial !     Long  live  the  Prince  Imperial !  ' 

And  as  the  lofty  arches  shook  with  a  mighty  acclamation, 
Madame  Correur  saw  the  Emperor  standing  on  the  altar  steps 
overlooking  the  throng.  He  stood  out  black  and  distinct 
against  the  background  of  blazing  gold  which  the  bishops 
formed  behind  him.  He  was  presenting  the  Prince  Imperial 
to  the  people,  holding  the  infant,  who  seemed  a  mere  bundle 
of  white  lace,  aloft  in  his  upstretched  arms. 

But  a  beadle  suddenly  motioned  to  Madame  Correur  to 
retire.  She  took  a  couple  of  steps  backwards,  and  the  next 
moment  saw  nothing  but  one  of  the  curtains  of  the  porch. 
The  vision  had  disappeared.  The  bright  daylight  made  her 
blink,  and  for  an  instant  she  remained  confused,  half  fancying 
that  she  had  been  gazing  upon  some  old  picture  like  those  in 
the  Louvre,  some  picture  baked  by  age,  purpled  and  gilded, 
and  depicting  people  of  a  past-away  time,  such  as  one  no  longer 
met  in  the  streets. 


92  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

'  Don't  stop  there,'  Du  Poizat  said  to  her,  as  he  led  her 
back  to  the  colonel  and  M.  Bouchard. 

The  latter  were  now  discussing  the  floods,  which  had 
caused  terrible  destruction  in  the  valleys  of  the  Rhone  and  the 
Loire.  Thousands  of  families  had  been  rendered  homeless. 
The  subscriptions  which  had  been  opened  on  all  sides  were 
insufficient  for  the  relief  of  such  great  distress.  However,  they 
asserted  that  the  Emperor  had  exhibited  most  admirable 
courage  and  generosity.  At  Lyons  he  had  been  seen  fording 
the  low  parts  of  the  inundated  city,  and  at  Tours  he  had  spent 
three  hours  rowing  in  a  boat  through  the  submerged  streets ; 
and  everywhere  he  had  lavishly  distributed  alms. 

'  Ah,  listen  ! '  interrupted  the  colonel. 

The  organ  was  now  pealing  throiagh  the  church,  and  a 
sonorous  chant  rolled  through  the  porch,  whose  curtains  swayed 
as  the  great  gust  of  sound  swept  out. 

'  It  is  the  Te  Deum  !  '  exclaimed  M.  Bouchard. 

Du  Poizat  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief.  They  were  getting  to 
an  end  at  last !  M.  Bouchard,  however,  informed  him  that 
the  registers  had  yet  to  be  signed,  and,  afterwards,  the 
Cardinal-Legate  would  have  to  give  the  pontifical  benediction. 
Some  of  the  congregation  were,  however,  already  leaving. 
Rougon  was  one  of  the  first  to  appear,  giving  his  arm  to  a 
lady  of  slight  build,  who  had  a  sallow  complexion,  and  was  very 
plainly  dressed.  They  were  accompanied  by  a  personage  who 
wore  the  dress  of  a  president  of  an  Appeal  Court. 

'  Who  are  those  ?  '  asked  Madame  Correur. 

Du  Poizat  told  her  their  names.  M.  Beulin-d'Orchere, 
the  president,  had  become  acquainted  with  Rougon  some  time 
before  the  Coup  d'Etat,  and  had  manifested  much  esteem  for 
him  since  that  period,  without,  however,  attempting  to  esta- 
blish any  close  intimacy.  Mademoiselle  Veronique,  his  sister, 
lived  with  him  in  a  house  in  the  Rue  Garanciere,  which  she 
seldom  left  except  to  attend  low  mass  at  Saint  Sulpice. 

'  Ah  ! '  said  the  colonel,  lowering  his  voice,  '  that  is  the 
wife  for  Rougon  !  ' 

'  Exactly,'  assented  M.  Bouchard.  *  She  has  got  a  suit- 
able fortune ;  her  family  is  good,  and  she  is  a  steady-going 
woman  of  experience.  He  will  never  find  a  wife  more  fitted 
for  him.' 

Du  Poizat,  however,  protested.  The  lady,  he  said,  was 
as  over-ripe  as  a  forgotten  medlar.  She  was  at  least  thirty- 
six  years  of  age,  and  looked  forty.     A  nice  broom-handle  in 


AN  IMPERIAL    CHRISTENING  93 

all  truth  !  A  devotee  with  hair  brushed  smooth  and  smug  ! 
As  faded  and  as  washed-out  as  though  she  had  been  soaking 
her  head  in  holy  water  for  the  last  six  months  ! 

'  You  are  young,'  rejoined  the  head-clerk,  gravely.  '  Rougon 
ought  to  make  a  sensible  marriage.  I  myself  married  for  love, 
but  that  does  not  succeed  with  everyone.' 

'  Oh  !  I  don't  apprehend  any  danger  from  the  lady  herself,' 
continued  Du  Poizat ;  '  it's  BeuHn-d'Orchere's  look  that 
alarms  me.  He's  got  a  regular  dog's  jaw.  Just  look  at  him 
with  his  heavy  muzzle  and  forest  of  woolly  hair,  without  a 
single  silver  thread  in  it,  in  spite  of  his  fifty  years.  What's 
he  thinking  about,  I  wonder  ?  Why  does  he  still  drive  his 
sister  into  Rougon's  arms  now  that  our  friend  is  out  of 
favour  ?  ' 

M.  Bouchard  and  the  colonel  kept  silent,  and  exchanged 
uneasy  glances.  Was  '  the  dog,'  as  the  ex-sub-prefect  called 
him,  going  to  make  Rougon  his  own  prey  ? 

However,  Madame  Correur  slowly  opined :  *  It  is  a  good 
thing  to  have  the  judicial  bench  on  one's  side.' 

Meantime,  Rougon  was  conducting  Mademoiselle  Vero- 
nique  to  her  carriage,  and,  before  she  got  into  it,  he  bowed  to 
her.  Just  at  that  moment  fee  fair  Clorinde  came  out  of  the 
church,  leaning  upon  Delestang's  arm.  She  became  quite 
grave,  and  cast  a  fiery  glance  at  that  tall  sallow  creature,  the 
door  of  whose  carriage  Rougon  was  gallantly  closing,  notwith- 
standing his  senatorial  uniform.  And  as  soon  as  the  carriage 
had  gone  off,  Clorinde  dropped  Delestang's  arm,  and  stepped 
straight  up  to  the  great  man,  breaking  out  into  her  old  gay 
laugh.     All  the  others  followed. 

'  I  have  lost  my  mother ! '  merrily  said  the  girl  to  Rougon. 
*  She  has  been  carried  off  somewhere  in  the  crowd.  Will  you 
give  me  a  little  corner  in  your  brougham  ? ' 

At  this  Delestang,  who  had  hoped  to  take  her  home, 
seemed  very  much  annoyed.  She  was  wearing  a  dress  of 
orange  silk,  brocaded  with  such  showy  flowers  that  the  very 
footmen  stared  at  her.  Rougon  had  immediately  granted  her 
request,  but  they  had  to  wait  for  the  brougham  for  another 
ten  minutes.  And  they  all  remained  standing  where  they 
were,  even  Delestang,  though  his  carriage  was  in  the  first 
row,  only  a  yard  or  two  away.  In  the  meanwhile  the  congre- 
gation continued  to  leave  the  church.  M.  Kahn  and  M.  Bejuin, 
who  were  passing,  came  up  and  joined  the  group.  And  as  the 
great  man  shook  hands  in  a  listless  way,  and  looked  somewhat 


94  If  IS  EXCELIENCY 

out  of  sorts,  M.  Kaiin  asked  with  anxious  concern  :  '  Aren't 
you  feeling  well  ?  ' 

'  Oh,  yes,'  he  answered,  '  but  those  lights  inside  there 
rather  dazed  me.'  He  remained  silent  for  a  moment,  and 
then  continued  in  a  low  voice  :  '  It  was  a  splendid  sight.  I 
never  saw  such  an  expression  of  happiness  upon  a  man's  face 
before.' 

He  was  referring  to  the  Emperor,  and,  as  he  spoke,  he 
slowly  spread  out  his  arms  with  a  sweeping  majestic  gesture, 
as  though  he  were  recalling  the  scene  in  the  church.  But  he 
added  not  a  word,  and  the  others  hkewise  kept  silence.  They 
formed  quite  a  little  group  in  a  corner  of  the  square.  In 
front  of  them  the  stream  of  people  leaving  the  church  grew 
larger  ;  there  were  judges  in  their  robes,  officers  and  function- 
aries in  full  uniform,  a  crowd  of  belaced  and  bedizened  and 
decorated  personages  who  trod  over  the  flowers  strewing  the 
square,  amidst  the  calls  of  footmen  and  sudden  rolling  of 
carriage- wheels.  The  soaring  glory  of  the  Empire  blazed,  as 
it  were,  in  the  crimson  of  the  setting  sun  ;  and  the  towers  of 
Notre  Dame,  all  roseate  and  musical,  seemed  to  attest  the 
lofty  peace  and  greatness  to  which  the  future  reign  of  the 
child,  baptized  beneath  their  shadow,  would  some  day  attain. 
But  in  Eougon's  group,  the  splendour  of  the  ceremony,  the 
pealing  bells,  the  streaming  banners,  and  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  city  only  aroused  feelings  of  envy  and  desire.  For  the 
first  time  Rougon  himself  felt  the  chilly  weight  of  the  dis- 
favour into  which  he  had  fallen.  His  face  Avas  very  pale,  and, 
as  he  stood  there  deep  in  thought,  he  envied  the  Emperor. 

'  Well,  good  afternoon ;  I'm  ofl' !  I  can't  stand  it  any 
longer  !  '  exclaimed  Du  Poizat,  shaking  hands  with  the 
others. 

'  What's  the  matter  with  you  to-day  ?  '  asked  the  colonel, 
*  you  seem  very  fractious.' 

But  the  sub-prefect  quietly  replied,  as  he  went  away  : 
'  Well,  you  can  scarcely  expect  me  to  be  in  very  high  spirits. 
I  saw  in  the  Moniteur  this  morning  that  that  ass  of  a 
Campenon  has  been  appomted  to  the  prefecture  which  was 
promised  to  me.' 

The  others  exchanged  glances.  Du  Poizat  was  quite 
right.  They  had  no  share  in  the  fete.  They  were  all  left 
out  in  the  cold.  Ever  since  the  birth  of  the  prince,  Rougon 
had  promised  them  a  shower  of  presents  for  the  day  of  the 
Qhristening.     M.  Kahn  was  to  have  had  his  railway  grant ; 


A.V  IMPERIAL    CHRISTENING  95 

the  colonel  was  to  have  bad  a  commander's  cross,  and 
Madame  Correur  was  to  have  had  the  five  or  six  tobacco- 
shops  for  which  she  had  asked.  And  now  they  were  all 
huddled  there  in  a  corner  of  the  square,  empty-banded.  At 
this  thought  they  cast  such  a  distressful  and  reproachful  look 
at  Rougon,  that  the  latter  shrugged  his  shoulders  furiously. 
And  as  his  brougham  at  last  drew  up,  he  hastily  pushed 
Clorinde  inside,  got  in  himself,  and  closed  the  door  with  a 
bang,  never  saying  a  word. 

'  There's  Marsy  under  the  porch,'  muttered  M.  Kahn, 
dragging  M.  Bejuin  on  one  side.  'How  arrogant  the  rascal 
looks !  Don't  show  him  your  face  ;  it  would  only  give  him 
the  opportunity  of  cutting  us.' 

Delestang  had  hastily  got  into  his  carriage  in  order  to 
follow  Rougon's  brougham.  M.  Bouchard,  however,  waited 
for  his  wife,  and  when  the  church  was  empty  he  was  surprised 
at  not  seeing  her  appear  ;  however,  he  went  off  with  the 
colonel,  who  bad  grown  equally  tired  of  waiting  for  his  son 
Auguste.  As  for  ]\Iadame  Correur,  she  accepted  the  escort  of 
a  lieutenant  of  dragoons,  who  came  from  her  own  part  of 
France,  and  who  was  to  some  extent  mdebted  to  her  for  his 
epaulets. 

Meanwhile,  inside  the  brougham,  Clorinde  was  prattling 
enthusiastically  about  the  ceremony  that  had  just  taken  place; 
while  Rougon  leaned  back  with  sleepy  eyes  and  listened  to 
her.  She  had  seen  the  Easter  solemnities  at  Rome,  she  told 
him,  but  they  were  not  finer  than  what  she  had  just  beheld. 
And  she  added  that,  for  her,  religion  lay  in  a  vision  of  heaven 
with  God  the  Father  seated  on  His  throne  like  a  glittering 
sun  amidst  the  glory  of  His  encircling  angels,  a  host  of  lovely 
youths  and  maidens.  But  all  at  once  she  broke  oft'  to  inquire : 
Are  you  going  to  the  banquet  which  the  city  is  giving  to 
their  majesties  to-night  ?     It  will  be  magnificent.' 

She  had  got  an  invitation  herself,  and  meant  to  wear  a 
pink  dress,  brocaded  with  forget-me-nots.  M.  de  Plouguern 
was  going  to  take  her,  as  her  mother  would  not  go  out  at 
night  on  account  of  the  headaches  to  which  she  was  so  subject. 
However,  she  suddenly  changed  her  subject  again,  asking 
abruptly  :   '  Who  was  that  judge  you  were  with  just  now  '? ' 

Rougon  raised  his  head,  and  said  all  in  a  breath  :  '  Mon- 
sieur Beuhn-d'Orchere,  fifty  years  of  age,  of  a  legal  family, 
began  as  public  prosecutor's  assessor  at  Montbrison,  was 
afterwards  nublic  prosecutor  at  Orleans,  advocate-general  at 


96  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

Eouen,  a  member  of  a  mixed  commission  in  1852,  and  then 
came  to  Paris  as  councillor  at  the  Appeal  Court,  of  which  he 
is  now  the  president.  Oh  !  I  was  forgetting  ;  he  approved  of 
the  decree  of  the  twenty-second  of  January,  1852,  confiscating 
the  property  of  the  Orleans  family.    There,  are  you  satisfied  ? ' 

Clorinde  began  to  laugh.  He  was  making  fun  of  her,  she 
said,  just  because  she  asked  for  information  ;  but  there  was 
nothing  foolish — was  there  ? — in  asking  about  people  whom 
one  was  liable  to  meet.  She  did  not  say  a  word  about 
Mademoiselle  Beulin-d'Orchere ;  but  again  began  to  talk  of 
the  banquet  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  The  grand  gallery  would 
be  decorated  with  unheard-of  magnificence,  and  a  band  would 
play  the  whole  time  the  guests  were  dining.  Ah  !  France 
was  truly  a  great  country  !  Nowhere,  neither  in  England, 
nor  in  Germany,  nor  in  Spain,  nor  in  Italy,  had  she  seen  such 
wonderful  balls,  such  prodigious  galas.  She  had  quite  made 
up  her  mind  now,  she  said,  her  face  beaming  with  admiration  ; 
she  meant  to  be  a  Frenchwom;in. 

'  Oh,  look  ! '  she  cried  ;  '  there  are  some  soldiers  there  ! ' 

The  brougham,  after  rolling  along  the  Rue  de  la  Cit6, 
had  now  been  stopped  at  the  end  of  the  Pont  Notre  Dame  by 
a  regiment  which  was  marching  back  to  its  quarters.  It  was 
one  of  the  line.  The  soldiers,  all  of  them  little  fellows,  were 
hastening  on  like  sheep,  their  march  being  somewhat  irregular 
by  reason  of  the  trees  planted  along  the  roadside.  They  had 
been  keeping  the  line  for  the  procession ;  their  faces  were 
scorched  by  the  hot  afternoon  sun  ;  their  feet  were  white  with 
dust ;  and  their  backs  bent  beneath  the  weight  of  their  knap- 
sacks and  rifles.  And  they  had  felt  so  bored  amid  the  jostling 
of  the  crowd  that  they  still  looked  dazed  and  stupid. 

'  I  adore  the  French  army,'  said  Clorinde  enthusiastically, 
as  she  leant  forward  to  get  a  better  view. 

Rougon  roused  himself,  and  in  his  turn  looked  out  of  the 
window.  It  was  the  power  of  the  Empire  that  was  passing 
through  the  dust.  A  great  many  carriages  had  now  gathered 
together  on  the  bridge,  but  the  coachmen  respectfully  waited 
for  the  soldiers  to  pass,  and  distinguished  personages  in  gala 
costumes  smiled  sympathisingly  at  the  little  fellows  who  were 
so  stupefied  by  their  long  day's  work. 

'  Do  you  see  those  in  the  rear  ?  '  exclaimed  Clorinde. 
'  There's  a  whole  row  of  them  without  a  hair  on  their  faces. 
How  nice  they  look  !  ' 

Then,  in  her  enthusiasm,  she  began  to  kiss  her  hands  to 


AN  IMPERIAL   CHRISTENING  97 

the  little  soldiers  from  the  depths  of  the  brougham.  She  lay 
back  a  little  so  that  she  might  not  be  seen.  Rougon  smiled 
in  a  paternal  manner.  He,  too,  had  just  felt  a  thrill  of  plea- 
sure, the  first  he  had  known  during  the  whole  day. 

'  What's  going  on  here  ? '  he  exclaimed,  when  the 
brougham  was  at  last  able  to  turn  the  corner  of  the  quay. 

A  considerable  crowd  had  formed  on  the  footway  and  in 
the  road,  and  the  brougham  had  to  stop  again.  A  voice  in 
the  throng  was  heard  saying  :  '  It's  a  drunken  man  who  has 
insulted  the  soldiers.  The  police  have  just  taken  him  into 
custody.' 

Then,  as  the  crowd  parted,  Rougon  caught  sight  of 
Gilquin,  dead-drunk,  and  held  by  a  couple  of  pohcemen. 
His  yellow  duck  clothes  were  torn,  and  his  naked  flesh  showed 
through  the  rents.  But  he  still  retained  his  garrulous 
joviality  and  scarlet  face.  He  addressed  the  policemen  in  the 
most  familiar  fashion,  calHng  them  his  little  lambs.  He  told 
them  that  he  had  been  quietly  spending  the  afternoon  in  a 
neighbouring  cafe  with  some  very  rich  people,  and  referred 
them  for  inquiries  to  the  Palais  Royal  theatre,  where  M.  and 
Madame  Charbonnel,  who  had  gone  to  see  Les  Dragees  du 
Bapteme,  would  readily  confirm  his  statement. 

'  Come,  let  me  go,  you  jokers  ! '  he  cried,  suddenly  stiffen- 
ing himself.  '  Confound  it  all,  the  cafe's  close  at  hand ; 
come  with  me  there,  if  you  don't  believe  me.  The  soldiers 
insulted  me.  _  There  was  a  little  scamp  who  laughed  at  me, 
and  I  shut  him  up.  But  for  me  to  insult  the  French  army  ! 
Never !  Just  you  mention  the  name  of  Theodore  to  the 
Emperor  and  hear  what  he  says.  Ah  !  you're  a  nice  set,  you 
are ! ' 

The  crowd  roared  with  amusement,  while  the  imperturb- 
able policemen  slowly  dragged  Gilquin  towards  the  Rue  Saint 
Martin,  where  the  red  lamp  of  a  police-station  could  be  seen. 
Rougon  had  hastily  thrown  himself  back  in  his  brougham, 
but  Gilquin,  raising  his  head,  caught  sight  of  him.  Then, 
drunk  though  he  was,  he  again  became  good-natured  and 
prudent,  and  casting  a  glance  at  Rougon,  exclaimed,  so  that 
the  latter  might  hear  him  :  '  Well,  well,  my  friends  :  I  might 
get  up  a  scandal  if  I  liked,  but  I've  too  much  self-respect. 
Ah,  you  wouldn't  lay  your  hands  on  Theodore  in  this  way  if 
he  drove  about  with  princesses  as  a  citizen  of  my  acquaint- 
ance does.  All  the  same,  however,  I've  worked  with  great 
people,  and  cleverly,  too,  though  I  don't  want  to  boast  about 

H 


98  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

it,  and  never  asked  for  a  big  reward.  But  I  know  my  own 
worth,  and  that  consoles  me  for  other  people's  meanness. 
Ah,  confound  it,  are  friends  no  longer  friends,  then  ?  ' 

He  spoke  with  growing  emotion,  his  speech  impeded  by 
hiccoughs,  while  Rougon  quietly  beckoned  to  a  man  wearing 
a  closely  buttoned  coat,  whom  he  saw  standing  near  his 
brougham,  and,  after  whispering  a  few  words  to  him,  gave 
him  Gilquin's  address,  17  Rue  Virginie,  Grenelle.  And 
thereupon  the  man — a  detective — stepped  up  to  the  officers 
as  though  he  were  about  to  help  them  with  the  drunkard 
who  had  begun  to  struggle.  However,  the  crowd  was  greatly 
surprised  to  see  the  policemen  turn  to  the  left  and  bundle 
Gilquin  into  a  cab,  whose  driver,  after  receiving  an  order, 
drove  away  along  the  Quai  de  la  Megisserie.  Gilquin,  how- 
ever, thrust  his  huge  unkempt  head  from  the  window,  and, 
with  a  burst  of  triumphant  laughter,  shouted  :  '  Long  live 
the  Republic !  ' 

When  the  crowd  had  dispersed,  the  quays  resumed  their 
wonted  tranquillity.  Paris,  weary  of  enthusiasm,  had  gone 
off  to  dinner.  The  three  hundred  thousand  sight-seers,  who 
had  struggled  and  crowded  there,  were  now  invading  the 
restaurants  by  the  water-side  and  those  of  the  district  of  the 
Temple.  None  but  country  cousins  paced  the  deserted  pave- 
ments, quite  knocked  up  and  at  a  loss  where  to  dine.  Down 
below,  in  the  floating  laundry  the  washerwomen  were  finish- 
ing their  work  with  vigorous  blows.  A  last  ray  of  sunlight 
still  gilded  the  towers  of  Notre  Dame,  which  now  rose  quite 
silent  above  the  houses  already  dark  with  shadow.  And 
through  the  slight  mist  ascending  from  the  Seine,  nothing 
could  be  distinguished  among  the  grey  mass  of  buildings,  on 
the  He  Saint  Louis,  save  the  giant  great-coat,  that  colossal 
advertisement  hanging  seemingly  from  some  nail  on  the 
horizon,  and  looking  like  the  garment  of  a  Titan,  whose  body 
had  been  pulverised  by  the  thunderbolts  of  Jove. 


PASSION  AND  AIATRIMONY 


99 


PASSION  AND  MATRIMONY 

One  morning  towards  eleven  o'clock,  Clorinde  called  at 
Kougon's  house  in  the  Rue  Marbeuf.  She  was  on  her  way 
back  from  the  Bois,  and  a  groom  held  her  horse  at  the  door. 
She  went  straight  into  the  garden,  turned  to  the  left,  and 
halted  in  front  of  the  open  window  of  the  study  in  which  the 
great  man  sat  at  work. 

'  Ah  !  I've  taken  you  by  surprise  ! '  she  exclaimed. 

Rougon  quickly  raised  his  head.  The  girl  stood  laughing 
in  the  warm  June  sunshine.  Her  riding-habit  of  heavy  blue 
cloth  made  her  seem  taller.  She  was  carrying  its  long  train 
over  her  left  arm,  and  its  tight-fitting  corsage  clung  to  her 
shoulders  and  breast  and  hips  like  skin.  She  wore  linen 
wristbands  and  collar,  and  a  narrow  necktie  of  blue  silk, 
while  atop  of  her  rolled-up  hair  a  tall  silk  hat  was  jauntily 
perched  with  a  veil  of  bluish  gauze  powdered  with  the  golden 
dust  of  the  sunlight. 

'  What,  is  it  you  ? '  cried  Rougon,  hastening  to  her. 
*  Pray  come  in  ! ' 

'  No,  no,'  she  answered ;  *  don't  disturb  yourself,  I  have 
only  a  word  to  say  to  you.  My  mother  will  be  expecting  me 
back  to  lunch.' 

This  was  the  third  time  that  she  had  come  in  this  way  to 
Rougon's  house  in  defiance  of  all  propriety.  She  made  a 
point,  however,  of  remaining  in  the  garden ;  and  upon  the 
previous  occasions,  as  upon  this  one,  she  had  come  in  her 
riding-habit,  a  costume  which  seemed  to  confer  masculine 
privileges  upon  her. 

'  I've  come  to  beg,'  she  said.  *  I  want  you  to  buy  some 
lottery  tickets.  We  are  getting  up  a  lottery  for  the  benefit  of 
some  poor  girls.' 

'  Oh,  indeed  ;  well,  come  in,'  repeated  Rougon,  '  you  can 
tell  me  all  about  it.' 

She  had  kept  her  whip  in  her  hand,  a  slight  delicate  whip 
with  a  little  silver  handle.  And  on  hearing  him  she  again 
began  to  laugh  while  gently  tapping  her  skirt  with  her  whip. 

'  Oh,  I've  told  you  all  there  is  to  tell,'  said  she.  '  You 
must  take  some  tickets.     That's  all      came  for.     I've  been 

h2 


loo  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

looking  for  you  for  the  last  three  days  without  finding  you,  and 
the  drawing  takes  place  to-morrow.'  Then,  as  she  took  a 
little  case  out  of  her  pocket,  she  inquired  :  '  How  many  tickets 
would  you  like  ?  ' 

'  Not  one,  if  you  won't  come  in  ! '  cried  Rougon.  And  he 
continued,  plaj'fully  :  '  We  can't  transact  business  at  the  win- 
dow, you  know,  and  I'm  not  going  to  hand  you  money  out  as 
though  you  were  some  beggar-woman.' 

'  Oh,  I  don't  object,  as  long  as  I  get  it.' 

But  Rougon  remained  firm.  She  looked  at  him  for  a 
moment  in  silence,  and  then  resumed:  'If  I  come  in,  will 
you  promise  to  take  ten  tickets  ?     They  are  ten  francs  each.' 

However,  she  did  not  make  up  her  mind  without  some 
further  hesitation,  and  she  even  cast  a  hasty  glance  round  the 
garden.  There  was  a  gardener  on  his  knees  planting  a  bed 
nf  geraniums.  Then  she  smiled  slightly  and  stepped  towards 
the  little  flight  of  steps  upon  which  the  folding- window  of  the 
study  opened.  Rougon  held  out  his  hand  and  drew  her  into 
the  middle  of  the  room. 

'  Are  you  afraid  that  I  shall  eat  you  ?  '  he  asked  her. 
'You  know  very  well  that  I  am  the  most  submissive  of  your 
slaves.     What  are  you  frightened  of  ?  ' 

'  I !  I'm  not  afraid  of  anything,'  she  replied  again,  tapping 
her  skirts  with  her  whip,  which  she  then  laid  upon  a  couch  in 
order  to  fumble  in  her  little  case  once  more.  '  You'll  take 
ten,  won't  you  ?  '  she  asked. 

'  I  will  take  twenty,  if  you  wish  it,'  he  replied  ;  '  but  do, 
please,  sit  down  and  let  us  have  a  little  chat.  You  surely 
don't  want  to  be  off  at  once.' 

'  Well,  then,  it  shall  be  a  ticket  a  minute.  If  I  stay  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  you  will  have  to  take  fifteen  tickets,  and  if 
I  stay  twenty  minutes,  you  will  have  to  take  twenty  tickets,  and 
so  on  as  long  as  I  stay.     Is  that  agreed  ?  ' 

They  laughed  merrily  over  this  arrangement,  and  Clorinde 
thf  eupon  seated  herself  in  an  easy  chair  in  the  very  embra- 
sure of  the  window  which  remained  open.  Rougon,  on  his 
side,  resumed  his  seat  at  his  table  in  order  to  put  her  at  her 
ease.  Then  they  began  to  talk,  taking  the  house  for  their 
first  subject.  Clorinde  glanced  out  of  the  window  and  re- 
marked that  the  garden  was  rather  small,  but  very  charming, 
with  its  central  lawn  and  clumps  of  evergreens.  Then  Rougon 
began  to  describe  the  house  to  her.  On  the  ground-floor, 
said  he,  were  his  study,  a  large  drawing-room,  a  small  one, 


PASSION  AND  MATRIMONY  loi 

and  a  very  handsome  dining-room.  On  the  first-floor  there 
were  seven  bedrooms,  and  as  many  on  the  second.  Although 
to  some  people  the  house  might  seem  a  very  small  one,  it  was 
much  too  big  for  him,  he  declared.  At  the  time  when  the 
Emperor  had  made  him  a  present  of  it  he  had  been  engaged 
to  marry  a  widow,  chosen  by  his  ]\Iajesty  himself ;  but  the 
lady  had  died,  and  now  he  intended  to  remain  a  bachelor. 

'  Why '? '  asked  Clorinde,  looking  him  straight  in  the 
face. 

'  Oh  !  I've  other  things  to  do  than  to  get  married.  When 
a  man  reaches  my  age,  he  no  longer  thinks  about  a  wife.' 

'  Don't  be  so  aft'ected,'  replied  Clorinde,  with  a  shrug  of  her 
shoulders. 

They -had  become  intimate  enough  to  talk  very  freely 
together.  Clorinde  declared  that  she  believed  Eougon  to  be 
amorously  inclined,  but  he  defended  himself,  and  told  her  of 
his  early  times,  of  the  years  he  had  spent  in  bare  rooms,  which 
never  a  woman  entered.  Still,  she  went  on  questioning  him 
about  his  lady-loves  with  childish  curiosity,  and  he  again  and 
again  replied  with  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders. 

'  No  !  no  wife  for  me  !  '  he  cried  at  last,  though  his  eyes 
were  glistening  at  the  sight  of  Clorinde's  careless  attitude. 

A  peculiar  smile  played  on  the  girl's  hps  as  she  lay  back 
in  her  chair.  There  was  an  expression  of  soft  languor  on  her 
face,  and  her  bosom  gently  heaved.  When  she  rephed,  it 
was  with  an  exaggerated  Italian  accent,  and  in  a  sort  of  sing- 
ing voice.  '  Nonsense,  my  friend ;  you  adore  us,  I  know. 
Will  you  bet  me  that  you  aren't  married  by  this  time  next 
year  ? ' 

She  was  really  provoking,  so  certain  did  she  seem  to  be  of 
conquering  him.  For  some  time  past  she  had  been  calmly 
oifering  herself  to  Eougon.  She  no  longer  attempted  to  dis- 
guise her  snares  and  the  clever  way  in  which  she  had  worked 
upon  him  before  laying  siege  to  his  desires.  She  considered 
that  he  was  now  sufficiently  overcome  for  her  to  bring  the 
matter  to  an  issue.  It  was  a  real  duel  that  was  going  on 
between  them,  and  although  the  conditions  of  the  combat  were 
not  mentioned  in  actual  words,  there  were  unmistakable  con- 
fessions in  their  glances.  When  they  looked  at  each  other 
they  could  not  refrain  from  smiling.  Clorinde  had  set  her 
eyes  upon  her  goal  and  went  straight  towards  it,  with  a 
haughty  boldness ;  while  Rougon,  infatuated  though  he 
was,   resolved  to  play   a  wily  game  in  order  to  prove   his 


I02  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

superiority.  Their  pride  was  engaged  in  the  struggle  quite  as 
much  as  their  passions  were. 

'  With  us  in  Italy,'  resumed  Clorinde  in  a  low  tone,  '  love 
is  the  great  business  of  life.  Young  girls  of  twelve  already 
have  their  lovers.  For  myself,  I  have  travelled  about  so 
much,  that  I've  almost  become  a  man.  But  if  you  could 
only  have  seen  mamma  when  she  was  young !  She  was  so 
lovely  that  people  came  from  long  distances  to  see  her,  but 
she  seldom  if  ever  left  her  house.  There  was  a  count  who 
stayed  at  Milan  expressly  for  six  months  without  catehijig 
siglat  of  her  hair  even.  The  fact  is,  that  Italian  women  are 
very  different  from  French  wojnen,  who  are  always  chattering 
ai:d  gadding  about.  An  Italian  woman  remains  with  the 
man  she  has  chosen.  But  I  have  travelled  so  much,  that  I 
really  don't  know  whether  I  haven't  lost  that  instinct  or  not ; 
still  I  think  that  I  could  love  very  strongly  ;  ah,  yes,  with  all 
my  heart  and  soul.' 

She  had  let  her  eyelids  fall,  and  her  face  glowed  as  with  a 
voluptuous  ecstasy.  While  she  was  speaking,  Eougon  had 
left  his  table  as  though  attracted  by  some  force  which  he 
could  not  withstand,  and  his  hands  were  trembling.  But 
when  he  got  near  to  Clorinde,  the  girl  opened  her  eyes  again 
and  gave  him  a  quiet  glance.  Then,  as  she  looked  at  the 
clock,  she  said  with  a  smile  :  '  This  makes  ten  tickets.' 

'  Ten  tickets  !  what  do  you  mean  ?  '  asked  Eougon,  quite 
confused. 

When  he  had  recovered  his  self-possession,  she  burst  into 
a  laugh.  It  delighted  her  to  bewitch  him  and  intoxicate  him 
in  this  way,  and  when  he  opened  his  arms  to  clasp  her,  to 
elude  him  with  a  laugh.  She  seemed  in  high  glee.  At  this 
Eougon  turned  very  pale,  and  cast  a  furious  glance  at  her, 
which  only  served  to  increase  her  merriment.  '  Well,  I  think 
I'd  better  be  off  now,'  she  said.  '  You're  not  polite  enough 
for  ladies'  society.  No,  really,  my  mother  will  be  expecting 
me.' 

Eougon,  however,  had  resumed  his  paternal  manner,  and 
told  her  that  she  must  spare  him  another  five  minutes.  He 
had  got  tired  of  the  work  he  was  doing  when  she  came  in, 
he  said  ;  it  was  a  report  to  be  presented  to  the  Senate  on 
certain  petitions.  Then  he  began  to  talk  to  her  about  the 
Empress,  for  whom  she  professed  enthusiastic  devotion. 
Tlie  Empress,  said  he,  had  been  at  Biarritz  for  the  last 
week.     At  this  the  girl  again  leant  back  in  her  arm-chair 


PASSION  AND  MATRIMONY  103 

and  began  to  chatter.  She  knew  Biarritz  very  well ;  she 
had  once  spent  a  season  there,  before  it  had  become  such  a 
fashionable  watering-place  ;  and  she  very  much  regretted  that 
she  was  unable  to  revisit  it  while  the  Court  was  there. 
Then  she  went  on  to  describe  a  meeting  of  the  Academy  to 
which  ]\I.  de  Plouguern  had  taken  her  on  the  previous  day. 
An  author  had  been  admitted  as  a  member,  and  she  made 
many  jokes  at  the  expense  of  his  baldness.  She  had  a  horror 
of  books,  she  declared.  Whenever  she  tried  to  read,  she  had 
to  go  off  to  bed,  suiiering  from  terrible  nervous  attacks.  She 
could  not  understand  what  she  read.  Then,  on  Rougon 
telling  her  that  the  author  received  at  the  Academy  on  the 
previous  day  was  an  enemy  of  the  Emperor's,  and  that  his 
discourse  had  swarmed  with  abominable  allusions,  she  seemed 
quite  astounded. 

'  Why,  he  looked  such  a  nice  man  !  '  she  exclaimed. 

But  Rougon  also  had  begun  to  inveigh  against  books. 
A  novel  had  just  been  published,  he  said,  which  had  aroused 
his  utmost  indignation.  It  was  a  work  of  the  most  depraved 
kind,  which,  while  claiming  to  portray  the  exact  truth, 
dragged  the  reader  through  all  the  wild  fancies  of  an 
hysterical  woman.'  The  word  hysterical  seemed  to  please 
him,  for  he  repeated  it  three  times  ;  but  when  Clorinde 
asked  him  to  explain  what  he  meant  by  it,  he  refused  to 
answer,  suddenly  becoming  very  prudish. 

*  Everything  may  be  said,'  he  continued,  '  only  there  is  a 
fitting  way  of  saying  it.  In  administrative  matters,  for 
instance,  we  are  frequently  obliged  to  tackle  very  delicate 
subjects.  I  have  read,  for  example,  reports  upon  certain 
matters  which  have  been  very  precise,  very  detailed ;  but 
they  have  been  written  in  a  clear,  simple,  straightforward 
style,  so  that  there  was  nothing  unchaste  or  impure  about 
the  document.  But  our  present-day  novelists  have  adopted 
a  style  which  is  full  of  suggestiveness,  a  manner  of  de- 
scribing things  which  makes  it  appear  as  if  they  were 
actually  going  on  before  you.  They  call  that  art.  To  me 
it  seems  to  be  simply  indecency  and  bad  taste.' 

Then  he  went  on  to  speak  of  authors,  whom  he  had 
never  read,  but  whom,  like  many  other  people,  he  accused  of 
the  grossest  immorahty.  And  yet  while  he  was  thus  prating 
of  YU'tue  and  denouncing  vice,  he  was  cleverly  manoeuvring 

'  An  allusion  to  M.  Flaubert's  '  Madame  Bovary.' — Ed. 


I04  B^IS  EXCELLENCY 

to  get  behind  Clorinde's  chair  without  her  being  aware  of  it. 
Tlie  girl  was  gazing  at  the  ceiling  with  an  expression  of 
absent-mindedness.  '  Oh,  as  for  novels,'  she  murmured,  '  I 
have  never  even  opened  one.  They  are  all  a  pack  of  false- 
hoods. You  don't  know  Leonora,  the  Gipsy,  do  you  ?  It  is 
a  pretty  book.  I  read  it  in  Italian  when  I  was  quite  little. 
It  is  about  a  young  girl  who  ends  by  marrying  a  lord.  She 
is  captured  by  brigands  to  begin  with ' 

However,  a  slight  grating  sound  behind  her  made  her 
start  and  turn  her  head  :  '  What  are  you  doing  ?  '  she  asked. 

'  I  am  pulling  the  blind  down,'  replied  Rougon ;  *  I  was 
afraid  the  sun  was  "inconveniencing  you.' 

The  girl  was,  indeed,  sitting  in  a  flood  of  sun-light,  whose 
dancing  dust  gilded  her  corsage  as  with  luminous  down. 
'  Please  leave  the  blind  alone,'  she  cried,  '  I  love  the  sun.  I 
feel  as  though  I  were  in  a  warm  bath.' 

Then  she  raised  herself  in  her  chair  and  glanced  into 
the  garden.  But  when  she  saw  the  gardener  still  kneeling 
there,  with  the  back  of  his  blue  blouse  turned  towards  them, 
she  reverted  to  her  reclining  attitude  again,  smiling,  and 
easy  once  more.  Rougon,  who  had  followed  her  glance,  left 
the  blind  as  it  was,  and  the  girl  began  to  banter  him.  He 
was  just  like  an  owl,  she  said,  to  be  so  fond  of  darkness. 
However,  he  showed  no  resentment,  but  began  to  pace  the 
room,  swaying  about  like  a  bear  contemplating  some  wily  act 
of  treachery. 

'  Oh,  come  and  look  here,'  he  said  at  last,  pointing  to  a 
large  photograph ;  '  you  haven't  seen  my  last  portrait,  have 
you?' 

But  she  merely  smiled,  and  repUed :  '  Oh  I  I  can  see  it 
very  well  from  here  ;  and,  besides,  you've  shown  it  to  me 
before.' 

Rougon  was  not  yet  discouraged.  He  drew  down  the 
blind  of  the  other  window,  and  invented  several  reasons  to 
induce  the  girl  to  go  into  the  shady  corner  which  he  had 
made  by  doing  so.  She  would  be  much  more  comfortable 
there,  he  told  her.  But  Clorinde,  despising  this  obvious 
snare,  merely  shook  her  head.  Then  Rougon  came  and 
stood  in  front  of  her ;  and,  dropping  all  attempts  at 
stratagem,  said  straightforwardly :  '  Oh,  by  the  way,  I  want 
to  show  you  my  new  horse,  Monarque.  You  know  that  I 
have  been  making  an  exchange.  You  are  fond  of  horses, 
and  you  shaU  tell  me  what  you  think  of  him.' 


PASSION  AND  MATRIMONY  105 

But  the  girl  still  refused  to  move.  Then  Rougon  began 
to  press  her.  The  stable  was  only  a  few  yards  away.  It 
wouldn't  take  her  more  than  five  minutes  at  the  most.  She 
continued  to  refuse,  however,  and  thereupon  Rougon  mur- 
mured with  a  touch  of  scorn  in  his  voice  :  '  What !  are  you 
afraid  ? ' 

At  this  she  started  up,  as  though  lashed  with  a  whip. 
She  looked  very  grave  and  somewhat  pale. 

'  Let  us  go  and  look  at  Monarque,'  she  said  quietly. 

As  she  gathered  up  the  train  of  her  riding-habit  she  fixed 
her  eyes  upon  Rougon's,  and  for  a  moment  they  remained 
gazing  at  each  other  as  if  to  read  each  other's  thoughts.  It 
was  a  challenge  given  and  accepted,  without  any  pretence  of 
concealment.  Then  she  led  the  way  down  the  steps  w4iile 
Rougon,  by  force  of  habit,  buttoned  the  house-coat  which  he 
was  wearing.  But  the  girl  had  only  taken  a  step  or  two  along 
the  garden-walk  when  she  stopped  short.  '  Wait  a  moment,' 
she  said. 

She  went  back  into  the  room,  and  when  she  returned,  she 
was  toying  with  her  riding-whip,  which  she  had  left  behind 
the  cushion  of  the  couch.  Rougon  glanced  at  the  whip,  and 
then  slowly  raised  his  eyes  to  Clorinde.  She  was  smiling 
again,  and  once  more  she  walked  on  in  front  of  him. 

The  stable  was  at  the  end  of  the  garden,  on  the  right. 
When  they  passed  the  gardener,  the  man  was  gathering  up 
his  tools  and  preparing  to  go  away.  Rougon,  bareheaded  in 
the  blazing  sun,  followed  Clorinde,  who  went  quietly  onward, 
tapping  the  shrubs  with  her  riding-whip  as  she  passed  them. 
Neither  spoke  a  word.  Clorinde  did  not  even  turn  her  head. 
On  reaching  the  stable,  she  waited  while  Rougon  opened  the 
door,  and  then  went  inside,  in  front  of  him.  The  door,  which 
Rougon  swung  back,  closed  noisily,  and  Clorinde  still  smiled, 
her  face  wearing  an  open  expression,  in  which  pride  and  con- 
fidence were  clearly  to  be  read. 

The  stable  w^as  a  small  and  commonplace  one,  with  four 
oak  stalls.  Although  the  slabs  had  been  washed  that  morn- 
ing, and  the  racks  and  mangers  and  other  wood-work  were 
kept  scrupulously  clean,  there  was  a  strong  scent  about  the 
place,  and  the  atmosphere  was  warm  and  damp,  like  that  of  a 
Turkish  bath.  From  each  of  the  two  round  dormer-windows 
there  fell  but  a  pale  glimmer  of  light,  and  the  corners  remained 
wrapt  in  gloom.  Clorinde,  having  just  left  the  bright  sun- 
shine of  the  garden,  could  at  first  distinguish  nothing ;  but 


io6  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

she  kept  still,  and  did  not  open  the  door  again  for  fear  lest 
Rougon  should  think  she  was  alarmed.  Only  two  of  the 
stalls  were  occupied.  The  horses  snorted  and  turned  their 
heads. 

*  This  is  the  one,  isn't  it  ?  '  asked  Clorinde,  when  her  eyes 
had  grown  accustomed  to  the  gloom.  '  He  looks  a  very  nice 
animal.' 

She  patted  the  horse  gently,  and  then  slipped  inside  the 
stall,  stroking  the  animal  as  she  went  without  showing  the 
least  sign  of  fear.  She  wanted  to  see  his  head,  she  said  ; 
and  when  she  had  made  her  way  to  the  far  end  of  the  stall, 
Rougon  could  hear  her  kissing  the  horse's  nose.  The  sound 
of  those  kisses  exasperated  him. 

'  Come  hack,  I  heg  you  ! '  he  cried.  '  If  he  were  to  step  on 
one  side,  you  might  be  crushed  to  death  !  ' 

But  the  girl  only  laughed,  kissed  the  horse  more  affection- 
ately than  before,  and  spoke  to  him  caressingly,  while  he,  at 
this  unexpected  fondling,  fairly  quivered  with  pleasure.  At 
last  she  came  out  of  the  stall  again.  She  was  very  fond  of 
horses,  she  said,  they  always  knew  her,  and  never  tried 
to  hurt  her,  even  when  she  teased  them.  She  knew  how  to 
manage  them.  Some  were  very  skittish,  but  this  one  seemed 
very  steady.  Then  she  stooped  down  behind  the  horse,  and 
lifted  one  of  its  hoofs  with  both  hands  as  if  to  examine  it. 
The  animal  remained  quite  still. 

Rougon  gazed  at  her  while  she  thus  stooped  before  him  ; 
but  all  at  once  she  felt  a  slight  touch  under  her  arm-pits. 
She  did  not  even  start,  however  ;  she  went  on  examining  the 
horse's  hoof,  till  the  touch  became  more  pronounced,  and 
then  letting  the  hoof  drop,  she  stood  up  and  inquired  :  '  What 
is  the  matter  with  you  ?     What  has  come  over  you  ?  ' 

Then,  as  Rougon  suddenly  tried  to  clasp  her  round  the 
waist,  she  rapped  his  knuckles  smartly,  and,  stationing  herself 
against  the  wall  in  front  of  the  stalls,  raised  the  train  of  her 
riding-habit,  which  was  thrown  over  her  left  arm,  as  a  shield, 
while  in  her  right  hand  she  held  her  whip  uplifted.  Rougon's 
lips  were  trembling,  but  he  did  not  say  a  word ;  Clormde, 
however,  seeming  quite  at  ease,  went  on  talking  freely  :  '  You 
can't  touch  me,  you'll  see,'  she  said.  '  When  I  was  younger, 
I  used  to  take  fencing-lessons.  I'm  sorry  I  did  not  go  on 
with  them.  Come,  look  out  for  your  fingers  !  There  !  what 
did  I  teU  you  ?  ' 

She  seemed  to  be  only  in  fun,     She  did  not  strike  Rougon 


PASSION  AND   MATRIMONY  107 

severely,  but  just  playfully  lashed  at  him  whenever  his  hands 
cauie  too  near.  She  was  so  quick  in  her  defence  that 
he  could  not  even  touch  her  dress.  A  perfect  hail  came 
clattering  down  upon  him  on  every  side.  I>efore  long  he  was 
tingling  all  over,  and  stepped  back  panting,  with  his  face  very 
red,  and  drops  of  perspiration  trickling  down  his  brow.  Then, 
however,  his  manner  changed,  and  still  without  a  word  he 
advanced  menacingly  ;  but  Clorinde,  though  smiling  and  talk- 
mg  as  before,  at  once  struck  him  several  smart  blows  of  in- 
creasing severity.  She  looked  very  beautiful  as  she  stood  there 
with  her  skirts  drawn  tightly,  and  her  corsage  yielding  to 
every  movement  of  her  lissom  figure.  She  was  like  a  sinuous, 
bluish-black  serpent,  and  whenever  she  raised  her  arm  to 
strike,  at  the  same  time  slightly  throwing  her  head  back,  her 
throat  and  bosom  formed  a  charming  curve. 

*  Well,  now,'  she  exclaimed,  with  a  laugh,  '  have  you  had 
enough  ?     You'll  be  the  first  to  tire,  I  think,  my  friend.' 

But  in  her  turn  she  suddenly  stopped  talking.  Rougon's 
eyes  were  glaring  fiercely  now,  and  his  face  was  quite  crimson. 
Then  a  bright  hght  also  appeared  in  Clorinde's  eyes,  and  she 
seemed  to  revel  in  the  whipping  she  was  administering  to 
him.  Again  and  again  did  she  wheel  and  slash  about  her. 
And  at  last,  as  he,  goaded  to  fury,  made  a  yet  more  desperate 
onslaught,  she  put  forth  all  her  strength  and  cut  him  clean 
across  the  face  from  ear  to  ear. 

'  Hussy  ! '  he  cried,  and  broke  into  a  torrent  of  coarse 
language,  abominable  charges,  swearing  and  sputtering,  half- 
choked  by  his  excitement. 

She  did  not  deign  to  reply.  For  a  moment  she  stood 
there  motionless  and  haughtily  calm  like  a  statue,  with  her 
face  very  pale. 

But  he  burst  into  a  strain  of  passionate  pleading;  and 
thereupon  she  looked  at  him  and  answered  :  *  Well,  then, 
marry  me  !  ' 

At  this,  however,  Eougon,  as  if  recovering  his  self-posses- 
sion, forced  a  laugh,  a  sneering,  insulting  laugh,  and  shook 
his  head. 

Her  retort,  the  only  one  that  womanly  pride  could  dictate, 
came  swift  and  forcible.     Then  neither  spoke  again. 

The  horses  in  the  stalls  had  turned  their  heads  and  were 
snorting,  disturbed  by  the  contest  which  they  had  heard. 
The  sun  had  just  risen  high  enough  to  shine  through  the 
dormer-windows,  and  two  golden  beams  sent  sparkles  dancing 


io8  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

through  the  gloom  of  the  stable.  Clorinde,  now  perfectly 
calm  again,  slipped  up  to  Monarque's  head,  with  her  whip 
under  her  arm.  She  gave  the  horse  two  kisses  on  the 
muzzle  and  exclaimed:  'Good-bye,  old  fellow.  You,  at  any 
rate,  know  how  to  behave  yourself.' 

Rougon,  quite  crushed  and  ashamed,  was  also  now  per- 
fectly calm.  With  his  hands  still  quivering  he  straightened 
his  cravat,  and  felt  his  coat  to  ascertain  if  it  was  properly 
buttoned.  Then  they  walked  quietly  back  through  the  garden. 
Rougon's  left  cheek  was  stinging  him,  and  he  dabbed  it  with 
his  handkerchief.  When  they  reached  his  study,  Clorinde's 
first  glance  was  for  the  timepiece.  '  That  makes  thirty-two 
tickets,'  she  said  with  a  smile. 

As  Rougon  looked  at  her  in  surprise,  she  once  more  broke 
into  a  laugh,  and  continued  :  '  You  had  better  send  me  off  at 
once.  The  hand  is  moving  forward.  The  thirty-third  minute 
has  begun.     See,  I'm  putting  the  tickets  on  your  desk.' 

Rougon  gave  her  three  hundred  and  twenty  francs  without 
a  moment's  hesitation.  Scarcely  did  his  fingers  tremble  as  he 
counted  out  the  gold.  It  was  a  fine  which  he  had  inflicted 
upon  himself.  Then  Clorinde,  carried  away  by  the  manner 
in  which  he  put  down  such  a  sum  of  money,  stepped  up  to 
him  with  an  adorable  expression,  offering  him  her  cheek. 
And  when  he  had  kissed  it  in  a  fatherly  fashion,  she  went  off, 
looking  quite  delighted,  and  saying  :  '  Thank  you  for  the  poor 
girls.  I  have  only  seven  tickets  left  now.  My  godfather  will 
take  those.' 

As  soon  as  Rougon  was  alone  again,  he  sat  down  at  his 
desk  by  sheer  force  of  habit.  He  resumed  his  work,  and  for 
some  minutes  wrote  and  consulted  the  papers  that  were  lying 
in  front  of  him.  Then  he  held  up  his  pen,  and  a  grave  ex- 
pression came  over  his  face  as  he  gazed  blankly  through  the 
open  window  into  the  garden.  He  again  saw  Clorinde's  lithe 
form  swaying  before  him  like  some  bluish  serpent.  She  glided 
on  and  entered  the  room,  and  sprang  up  on  the  living  tail 
which  her  habit  seemed  to  form.  He  saw  her  quivering  as 
her  arms  uncoiled  towards  him  ;  and  gradually  the  room 
seemed  full  of  her  presence.  Silently,  passionately,  it  per- 
vaded everything  :  the  carpet,  the  chairs,  the  curtains,  dif- 
fusing over  all  a  penetrating  perfume. 

Then  Rougon  violently  threw  his  pen  down  and  rose  in 
anger.  Was  that  girl  now  going  to  prevent  him  from  work- 
ing ?     Was  he  going  mad  that  he  should  see  things  which 


PASSION  AND  MATRIMONY  109 

had  no  existence  ?  he  whose  brain  was  so  strong !  He  re- 
called to  his  mind  a  woman,  nigh  whom  he  had  many  a  time 
written  the  whole  night  long,  when  he  was  a  student,  without 
even  noticing  her  gentle  breathing.  Then  he  drew  up  the 
bUnd,  and  to  establish  a  draught  opened  the  other  window 
and  a  door  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  as  though  he 
were  stifling.  And  with  angry  gestures  similar  to  those  with 
which  he  would  have  driven  away  some  dangerous  wasp,  he 
tried  to  drive  away  the  scent  of  Clorinde  by  flapping  his 
handkerchief  in  the  air.  When  he  no  longer  noticed  it,  he 
drew  a  deep  breath  and  again  dabbed  his  face  with  his  hand- 
kerchief to  assuage  the  burning  heat  which  Clorinde  had 
brought  there. 

He  could  not,  however,  go  on  with  the  work  he  had  com- 
menced, but  still  slowly  paced  the  room,  from  one  end  to  the 
other.  As  he  caught  sight  of  himself  in  a  mirror,  he  noticed 
a  red  mark  on  his  left  cheek.  Clorinde's  whip  had  only  left  a 
slight  scratch  behind  it,  and  he  could  easily  ascribe  that  to 
some  trifling  accident.  However,  although  his  skin  revealed 
but  a  slight  red  line,  his  flesh  still  smarted  with  the  slashing, 
galling  cut.  So  he  hastened  to  a  little  lavatory,  curtained  off 
from  the  rest  of  the  room,  and  plunged  his  head  into  a  basin 
of  water.  That  afforded  him  considerable  relief.  He  dreaded 
lest  the  whipping  he  had  received  from  Clorinde  should  only 
sharpen  his  passion.  He  felt  afraid  to  think  about  her  till 
the  scratch  on  his  cheek  should  be  quite  healed  ;  the  smarting 
which  he  felt  seemed  to  descend  and  thrill  his  whole  body. 

'  No !  never  !  I  won't !  '  he  said  aloud,  as  he  came  back 
into  his  room.     '  It  would  be  madness  ! ' 

He  threw  himself  on  the  couch  and  clenched  his  fists. 
Then  a  servant  came  in  and  told  him  that  his  dejeuner  was 
getting  cold,  but  he  still  sat  there,  struggling  with  himself. 
His  stern,  set  face  distended  with  the  contest  that  was  raging 
within  him  ;  his  bull- like  neck  grew  swollen  and  his  miiscles 
strained,  as  though  silently,  within  his  vitals,  he  were  striving 
to  suffocate  some  animal  bent  on  devouring  him.  The  battle 
went  on  for  ten  long  minutes.  He  could  not  remember 
having  ever  exerted  himself  like  this  before ;  and,  when  he 
got  up,  he  was  quite  pallid  and  his  neck  was  moist  with 
perspiration. 

On  the  next  two  days  Rougon  admitted  no  one  to  see  him. 
He  shut  himself  up  with  a  pile  of  work.  He  sat  up  one  whole 
night.     Three  times  agu'ii,  when  hi.s  servant  came  into  the 


no  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

room,  he  found  him  lying  on  the  couch,  exhausted  and  with 
an  alarming  look  on  his  face.  On  the  evening  of  the  second 
day,  however,  he  dressed  to  go  to  Delestang's,  where  he  was 
engaged  to  dine.  But,  instead  of  at  once  crossing  the  Champs 
Elysees,  he  turned  up  the  avenue  and  entered  the  Balbis' 
house.     It  was  only  six  o'clock. 

'  Mademoiselle  isn't  at  home,'  said  the  little  servant  An- 
tonia,  laughing  like  a  black  goat,  as  she  stopped  him  on  the 
staircase. 

Rougon  raised  his  voice  on  the  chance  of  making  himself 
heard,  and  was  hesitating  whether  he  should  go  down  again, 
when  Clorinde  appeared  up  above,  leaning  over  the  balusters. 
'  Come  up  !  '  she  called.  '  What  an  idiot  that  girl  is  !  She 
never  understands  anything  that  is  told  her.' 

When  Rougon  reached  the  first  floor,  Clorinde  took  him 
into  a  small  room  adjoining  her  bed-chamber.  It  was  a 
dressing-room,  with  light  blue  wall-paper  of  a  flowery  pattern, 
but  she  had  furnished  it  with  a  big  dingy  mahogany  desk,  an 
arm-chair  upholstered  in  leather,  and  a  nest  of  pasteboard 
boxes.  Papers  were  lying  about,  thickly  covered  with  dust. 
The  place  looked  like  the  office  of  some  disreputable  process 
server.  To  accommodate  Rougon  the  girl  was  obliged  to  fetch 
a  chair  from  her  bedroom.  '  I  was  expecting  you,'  she  called 
out  as  she  went  there. 

When  she  came  back  with  the  chair,  she  explained  to  him 
that  she  was  busy  with  her  correspondence.  She  showed  him 
on  her  desk  some  big  sheets  of  yellowish  paper,  covered  with 
large  round  handwriting.  Then,  as  he  sat  down,  she  noticed 
that  he  was  in  evening  dress. 

'  Have  you  come  to  ask  for  my  hand  ? '  she  said  in  a 
playful  way. 

'  Exactly,'  he  replied.  Then  he  added  with  a  smile  :  'Not 
for  myself,  but  for  one  of  my  friends.' 

Clorinde  gazed  at  him  doubtfully,  unable  to  tell  whether 
he  was  joking  or  not.  She  was  dirty  and  untidy,  and  was 
wearing  an  ill-fitting  dressing-gown  ;  but,  nevertheless  she 
looked  very  beautiful,  like  some  antique  statue  which  is  soiled 
by  the  dust  of  a  broker's  shop,  but  whose  beauty  is  beyond  the 
power  of  dirt  to  conceal.  And  while  she  sucked  one  of  her 
fingers  which  she  had  just  smeared  with  ink,  her  eyes  fell 
upon  the  slight  scar  which  was  still  visible  on  Rougon 's  left 
cheek.  Presently  she  said,  in  a  low  voice  and  with  an  air 
of  absent-mindedness  :  '  I  was  sure  you  would  come,  but  I 


PASSION  AND  MATRIMONY  m 

expected  you  sooner.'  Then,  seeming  to  wake  up,  she  con- 
tinued in  a  louder  tone :  '  So  it  is  for  one  of  your  friends  ; 
your  dearest  friend,  no  doubt.' 

She  laughed  sonorously.  She  now  felt  sure  that  Kougon 
had  meant  himself.  She  had  a  strong  desire  to  touch  his  scar 
in  order  to  satisfy  herself  that  she  had  really  put  her  mark 
upon  him  and  that  henceforth  he  belonged  to  her.  But  he 
took  hold  of  her  wrists  and  made  her  sit  down  in  the  leather- 
covered  arm-chair. 

'  Let  us  have  a  little  talk,'  he  said.  '  We  are  good  friends, 
aren't  we  ?  I  have  been  thinking  a  good  deal  since  the  day 
before  yesterday.  You  have  been  in  my  mind  the  whole  time. 
I  fancied  that  we  had  got  married,  and  that  we  had  been  living 
together  for  three  months.  You'll  never  guess  in  what  occu- 
pation I  saw  us  engaged.' 

Clorinde  said  nothing ;  she  felt  a  little  embarrassed,  in 
spite  of  all  her  self-assurance. 

'  Well,  I  saw  us  standing  by  the  fire-place,'  he  continued. 
*  You  had  taken  up  the  shovel  and  I  had  seized  the  tongs,  and 
we  were  belabouring  each  other.' 

This  idea  struck  Clorinde  as  so  comical  that  she  threw  her- 
self back  in  her  chair  and  burst  into  ringing  laughter. 

'  No,  don't  laugh,'  said  Eougon  ;  '  I'm  quite  serious.  It 
isn't  worth  while  uniting  our  lives  just  to  beat  each  other.  I 
swear  to  you  that  is  what  would  happen.  First  there  would 
be  blows,  and  then  a  separation.  Be  quite  sure  of  this,  that 
it  is  useless  trying  to  assimilate  two  strong  wills  like  ours.' 

'  And  so  ? '  she  asked,  becoming  very  grave. 

'  And  so  I  think  that  the  most  sensible  thing  we  can  do  is 
to  shake  hands  and  make  up  our  minds  to  be  nothing  but 
good  friends  in  the  future.' 

Clorinde  made  no  reply,  but  fixed  her  eyes  searchingly  and 
blackly  upon  Rougon's.  A  terrible  frown  like  that  of  an 
offended  goddess  appeared  on  her  olympian  brow.  And  her 
lips  quivered  slightly  with  a  silent  expression  of  scorn. 

'  Will  you  excuse  me  ?  '  she  said.  Then,  drawing  her 
chair  to  her  desk,  she  began  to  fold  her  letters.  _  She  used 
large  yellow  envelopes,  such  as  are  employed  in  French 
government  offices,  and  fastened  them  with  sealing-wax.  She 
had  Ughted  a  taper  and  was  watching  the  wax  blaze.  Eougon 
quietly  waited  till  she  had  finished. 

*  And  you  came  here  to  tell  me  that  ?  '  she  resumed  at  last, 
without  desisting  from  her  work. 


112  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

Rougon  in  his  turn  made  no  immediate  reply.  He  wanted 
to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  girl's  face.  When  she  at  last  turned 
her  chair  round  again,  he  smiled  at  her  and  tried  to  catch  her 
eye.  Then  he  kissed  her  hand,  as  though  anxious  to  soften 
her ;  but  she  still  remained  cold  and  haughty. 

'  I  told  you,'  he  said,  *  that  I  have  come  to  ask  you  in 
marriage  on  behalf  of  one  of  my  friends.' 

Then  he  spoke  at  length.  He  loved  her,  he  told  her,  much 
more  than  she  imagined.  He  loved  her  particularly  because  she 
was  intelligent  and  able.  It  cost  him  a  great  deal  to  give  her  up, 
but  he  was  sacrificing  his  passion  for  their  mutual  advantage. 
He  would  like  to  see  her  ruling  her  own  house.  He  pictured 
her  married  to  a  wealthy  man  whom  she  would  mould  to  her 
own  will.  She  would  rule  instead  of  having  to  surrender 
herself.  That  would  be  much  better — would  it  not  ? — than 
for  them  to  paralyse  one  another.  He  and  she  could  speak 
out  openly  to  each  other.  He  ended  by  calling  her  his  child. 
She  was  lais  perverse  daughter,  he  said ;  her  diplomatic  bent 
of  mind  delighted  him,  and  it  would  distress  him  very  much 
to  see  her  career  end  unsatisfactorily. 

*  Is  that  all  ? '  she  said,  when  he  finished.  She  had 
listened  to  him  with  the  greatest  attention.  And,  raising  her 
eyes  to  his  face,  she  continued  :  '  If  you  want  to  get  me  married 
in  the  expectation  of  anything,  I  warn  you  that  you  are  mis- 
taken.    Never  !     I  told  you.' 

'  What  an  idea  !  '  he  exclaimed,  slightly  blushing.  Then 
he  coughed,  and  took  a  paper-knife  off  the  desk  and  began  to 
examine  its  handle  in  order  to  conceal  the  trouble  he  was 
feeling.  But  the  girl  was  deep  in  thought  again,  paying  no 
attention  to  him. 

'  And  who  is  the  husband  ?  '  she  eventually  asked. 

'  Can't  you  guess  ?  ' 

Then  a  faint  smile  came  to  her  face  once  more,  and  she 
shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  began  to  drum  on  the  desk  with 
her  finger  tips.  She  knew  very  well  who  it  was.  '  He  is  so 
stupid,'  she  said,  in  a  low  voice. 

But  Rougon  began  to  defend  Delestang.  He  was  a  very 
well-bred  man,  and  she  would  be  able  to  do  what  she  liked 
with  him.  And  he  gave  her  particulars  as  to  his  health  and 
fortune  and  habits.  Moreover,  he  promised  that  he  would 
use  all  his  influence  in  their  favour  should  he  ever  return  to 
power.  Delestang  was,  perhaps,  scarcely  a  man  of  lofty  intel- 
gence,  but  he  would  not  be  out  of  place  in  any  position. 


PASSION  AND  MATRIMONY  113 

*  Oh,  yes,  he'd  scrape  on  well  enough  ;  I'm  willmg  to  allow 
that,'  she  said,  with  a  frank  laugh.  And  she  continued,  after 
a  pause :  *  Well,  I  don't  say  no ;  perhaps  you  are  right. 
Monsieur  Delestang  is  not  distasteful  to  me.' 

She  looked  at  Rougon  as  she  spoke  those  last  words.  She 
fancied  she  had  noticed  upon  several  occasions  that  he 
was  jealous  of  Delestang.  But  so  far  as  she  could  see  not  a 
muscle  of  his  face  now  moved.  He  had  found  strength 
enough  to  destroy  his  passion  in  two  days.  And  he  seemed 
quite  delighted  with  the  success  of  his  scheme,  and  again 
began  to  expatiate  upon  the  advantages  of  such  a  marriage,  as 
though  he  were  some  shrewd  attorney  negotiating  an  affair 
from  which  she  would  derive  especial  profit.  He  took  her 
hands  in  his  own  and  patted  them  affectionately,  as  he  went 
on  :  '  It  was  last  night  that  the  idea  struck  me,  and  I  said  to 
myself,  "  It's  the  very  thhig  !  "  I  shouldn't  like  you  to 
remain  unmarried.  You  are  the  only  woman  who  seems 
to  me  to  be  really  deserving  of  a  husband.  Delestang  settles 
everything.  With  him  one  has  elbow-room.'  Then  he  added 
gaily  :  '  I  feel  convinced  that  you  wiU  reward  me  by  letting 
me  see  some  very  wonderful  things.' 

'  Is  Monsieur  Delestang  aware  of  your  plans  ?  *  Clorinde 
now  inquired. 

Rougon  looked  at  her  in  surprise  for  a  moment,  as  though 
she  had  said  something  which  he  had  not  expected  from  her. 
Then  he  calmly  replied  :  '  No  ;  it  was  no  use  saying  anything 
to  him.     I  will  tell  him  all  about  it  later  on.' 

The  girl  had  just  resumed  the  sealing  of  her  letters. 
After  pressing  a  large  blank  seal  upon  the  wax  she  turned  the 
envelopes  over  and  slowly  addressed  them  in  big  handwriting. 
And  as  she  tossed  the  letters  to  her  right,  Rougon  tried  to 
read  the  addresses.  The  names  were  mostly  those  of  well- 
known  Italian  politicians.  She  must  have  noticed  what  he 
was  doing,  however,  for,  as  she  rose  and  collected  her  letters 
to  send  them  to  the  post,  she  remarked  :  '  When  my  mother 
has  one  of  her  headaches,  I  have  to  do  the  letter- writing.' 

When  Rougon  was  left  to  himself,  he  began  to  walk  about 
the  Uttle  room.  The  pasteboard  boxes  in  the  stand  were  all 
labelled  '  Beceipts,'  '  Letters,'  and  so  on,  like  those  of  some 
man  of  business.  He  smiled,  however,  when  among  the 
litter  of  papers  on  the  desk,  he  caught  sight  of  a  pair  of  old 
spHt  stays.  There  was  a  piece  of  soap,  too,  in  the  inkstand, 
and  some  scraps  of  blue  satin  on  the  floor,  clippings  which  had 

1 


114  J^IS  EXCELLENCY 

fallen  during  the  mending  of  a  skirt,  and  had  not  been  swept 
away.  The  door  leading  to  Clorinde's  bedi'oom  was  ajar,  and 
Rougon  had  the  curiosity  to  peep  inside  ;  but  the  shutters 
were  closed  and  the  room  was  so  dark  that  he  could  only  see 
the  shadowy  folds  of  the  bed-curtains.  Just  then,  too, 
Clorinde  came  back, 

*  I  must  be  off,'  Rougon  said  to  her.  '  I  am  going  to  dine 
with  your  man  this  evening.  Do  you  give  me  full  permission 
to  act  ? ' 

The  girl  made  no  reply.  She  had  turned  quite  gloomy 
again,  as  though  she  had  been  reconsidering  the  matter  on 
the  staircase.  Rougon  had  already  got  his  hand  upon  the 
balusters,  but  she  brought  him  back  into  the  room  and  closed 
the  door.  Her  dream  was  being  dispelled,  the  hope  of  which 
she  had  felt  so  sure  that  only  an  hour  previously  she  had 
regarded  it  as  a  certainty.  The  burning  flush  that  comes 
from  a  deadly  insult  rose  to  her  cheeks.  She  felt  as  though 
she  had  received  a  blow. 

'  Then  you  mean  it  seriously  ?  '  she  said,  turning  her 
back  to  the  light,  so  that  Rougon  might  not  see  how  flushed 
her  face  was. 

When  he  had  repeated  his  arguments  for  the  third  time, 
she  remained  silent.  She  was  afraid  that  if  she  began  to 
speak  on  the  subject  she  would  be  carried  away  by  an  impulse 
of  wild  anger,  which  she  could  feel  surging  within  her,  and 
she  feared  she  might  strike  Rougon  in  revenge  for  this 
crumbling  away  of  the  future  which  she  had  planned  for  her- 
self. But  it  was  only  a  momentary  impulse.  She  was  soon 
calm  again,  and  then  slowly  asked,  *  You  wish  this  marriage 
to  take  place  '? ' 

Rougon  did  not  hesitate,  but  answered  in  a  full  clear  tone 
'  Yes.' 

'  Very  well ;  let  it  be  then.' 

With  slow  steps,  they  returned  to  the  door  and  went  out 
on  to  the  landing,  both  looking  extremely  calm.  The  only  signs 
of  Rougon's  last  victory  over  himself  were  a  few  drops  of 
perspiration  on  his  brow.  Clorinde  held  herself  erect,  certain 
of  her  power.  They  stood  looking  at  each  other  in  silence 
for  a  moment,  having  nothing  further  to  say,  and  yet  unable 
to  part.  At  last,  as  Rougon  took  the  girl's  hand  to  say  good- 
bye, she  detained  him  for  an  instant,  and  said  without  trace 
of  anger  :  '  You  think  yourself  much  cleverer  than  I  am,  but 
you  are  mistaken.     You  will  perhaps  be  sorry  some  day.' 


PASSION  AND  MATRIMONY  115 

Her  threats  went  no  further.  She  leant  over  the  balusters 
and  watched  him  go  down  the  stairs.  When  he  got  to  the 
bottom,  he  raised  his  head  and  they  smiled  at  one  another. 
She  had  no  thought  of  taking  any  puerile  vengeance  upon 
him ;  she  was  already  dreaming  of  punishing  hnn  by  some 
splendid  future  triumph  of  her  own.  And  as  she  went  back 
to  the  dressing-room,  she  caught  herself  murmuring,  '  Ah, 
well !  all  roads  lead  to  Eome.' 

That  very  evening  Rougon  began  to  lay  siege  to  Dele- 
stang's  heart.  He  told  him  of  some  very  flattering  imaginary 
remarks  which  Mademoiselle  Balbi  had  made  of  him  at  the 
banquet  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville ;  and  afterwards  he  never 
wearied  of  discoursing  to  him  about  the  young  girl's  extra- 
ordinary beauty.  He,  who  had  formerly  warned  him  so 
strongly  to  be  on  his  guard  against  women,  now  did  his  best 
to  deliver  him  over  to  Clorinde  bound  hand  and  foot.  One 
day  he  would  dwell  upon  the  rare  beauty  of  her  hands  ;  on 
another,  he  would  glorify  her  figure,  describing  it  in  the  most 
alluring  language.  Delestang,  whose  inflammable  heart  was 
already  full  of  Clorinde's  image,  was  soon  stirred  by  hot  pas- 
sion. When  Rougon  told  him  that  he  himself  had  never 
thought  about  her,  he  confessed  that  he  had  been  in  love  with 
her  for  the  last  six  months,  but  had  kept  silent  on  the  subject 
from  fear  of  being  too  late.  He  now  began  to  go  to  the  Rue 
Marbeuf  every  evening  to  talk  about  her.  There  semed  to  be 
a  general  conspiracy  against  him.  He  never  spoke  to  anyone 
without  hearing  enthusiastic  praises  of  the  girl  he  loved. 
Even  the  Charbonnels  stopped  him  one  morning  on  the 
Place  de  la  Concorde  to  express  their  admiration  of  the 
'  beautiful  young  lady  whom  they  saw  about  with  him  every- 
where.' 

Clorinde,  on  her  side,  wore  a  smihng  face.  She  had 
planned  out  her  life  afresh,  and  in  a  few  days  had  grown 
accustomed  to  the  new  part  she  was  to  play.  She  did  not 
attempt  to  win  Delestang  by  the  same  bold  tactics  with 
which  she  had  tried  to  subjugate  Rougon.  She  quite 
changed  her  manner,  aft'ected  soft  languor,  guileless  inno- 
cence, and  such  a  nervous  disposition,  that  too  tender  a 
squeeze  of  the  hand  would  upset  her.  When  Delestang  told 
Rougon  that  she  had  fainted  in  his  arms  just  because  he  had 
kissed  her  wrist,  the  latter  pretended  to  consider  this  as  a 
convincing  proof  of  her  purity  of  mind.  So  at  last  Delestang 
began  to  think  seriously  about  marrying  her,  and  went  to 


ii6  BIS  EXCELLENCY 

consult  Rougon  on  the  subject.  But  when  the  latter  found 
his  plans  so  near  realisation  he,  just  for  a  moment,  felt  so 
hurt  and  angry  that  he  almost  told  Delestang  then  and 
there  of  all  that  had  passed  between  himself  and  Clorinde. 
However,  he  refrained,  and  proceeded  very  cleverly  to  work 
upon  the  other's  feelings.  He  did  not  actually  advise  him  to 
marry  Clorinde,  but  led  him  on  to  this  determination  by 
remarks  that  seemed  almost  irrelevant  to  the  subject.  He 
had  been  much  surprised,  he  said,  to  hear  the  unpleasant 
stories  which  had  been  circulated  about  ]\Iademoiselle  Balbi, 
but  he  did  not  believe  them,  for  he  had  made  searching 
inquiries  without  discovering  anything  to  her  disadvantage. 
Moreover,  a  man  ought  not  to  doubt  the  woman  he  loved. 
Those  were  his  last  words. 

Six  weeks  later,  as  Rougon  came  out  of  the  Madeleine, 
where  the  marriage  had  just  been  celebrated  with  great 
magnificence,  he  said  to  a  deputy  who  was  expressing  his 
astonishment  at  Delestang' s  choice  :  '  Well,  what  could  you 
expect  of  him  ?  I  warned  him  a  hundred  times.  But  he 
Avas  sure  to  be  taken  in  by  a  woman  some  day.' 

Towards  the  end  of  the  winter,  when  Delestang  and  his 
wife  returned  from  travelling  in  Italy,  they  learnt  that 
Rougon  was  on  the  point  of  marrying  Mademoiselle  Beulin- 
d'Orchere.  When  they  went  to  see  him,  Clorinde  congratu- 
lated him  very  gracefully.  He  pretended  that  he  was  really 
taking  the  step  to  please  his  friends.  For  the  last  three 
months,  he  said,  they  had  let  him  have  no  peace,  but  had 
constantly  repeated  that  a  man  in  his  position  ought  to  be 
married.  He  added  with  a  laugh  that  when  his  friends  came 
to  see  him  in  the  evenings,  there  wasn't  even  a  woman  in  the 
house  to  pour  out  the  tea. 

'  Oh !  so  it's  a  sudden  decision  of  yours ;  you  never 
thought  of  it  before,  I  suppose,'  remarked  Clorinde  with  a 
smile.  '  You  ought  to  have  got  married  at  the  same  time 
as  Ave  did,  so  that  we  could  all  have  gone  to  Italy  to- 
gether.' 

Then  she  began  to  question  him  playfully.  No  doubt 
it  was  his  friend,  Du  Poizat,  who  had  suggested  this  pretty 
idea.  But  this  was  denied  by  Rougon,  who  asserted  that 
Du  Poizat  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  marriage,  as  he  per- 
sonally abominated  M.  Beulin-d'Orchere.  All  the  rest,  how- 
ever, M.  Kahn,  M.  Bejuin,  Madame  Correur,  and  even  the 
Charbonnels,  had   never  wearied  of   singing  the  praises  of 


PASSION  AND  MATRIMONY  117 

Mademoiselle  Veronique.  According  to  them,  she  would 
bring  every  imaginable  virtue,  prosperity  and  charm  into 
his  home.  Then  he  concluded  jocosely  :  '  She  seems  to  have 
been  made  on  purpose  for  me,  and  so  I  really  couldn't  refuse 
to  take  her.'  And  he  added  with  a  subtle  smile  :  '  Besides,  if 
we  are  going  to  have  war  in  the  autumn,  it  is  necessary  to 
think  about  making  alliances.' 

Clorinde  expressed  her  perfect  approval ;  and  she,  too, 
began  to  sing  Mademoiselle  Beuliu-d'Orchere's  praises, 
though  she  had  only  seen  her  once.  Delestang,  who  had 
hitherto  confined  himself  to  nodding,  without  ever  taking 
his  eyes  off  his  wife,  now  commenced  an  enthusiastic  dis- 
quisition upon  the  advantages  of  marriage.  And  he  was 
starting  on  a  detailed  account  of  his  own  happiness,  when 
his  wife  rose  and  said  they  had  another  visit  to  make.  As 
Rougon  escorted  them  to  the  door,  she  held  him  back  for  a 
moment,  letting  her  husband  go  on  in  front. 

*  Didn't  I  tell  you  that  you  would  be  married  within  the 
twelvemonth  ? '  she  whispered  softly  in  his  ear. 


VI 

IN  RETIREMENT 

Summer  came  round.  Rougon  was  leading  a  life  of  perfect 
quietude.  In  three  months'  time  Madame  Rougon  had  re- 
placed the  somewhat  equivocal  tone  of  the  house  in  the  Rue 
Marbeuf  by  one  of  solemn  respectability.  An  atmosphere  of 
propriety  pervaded  the  rather  chilly  rooms,  where  all  was 
spick  and  span.  The  furniture,  always  in  place,  the  closely 
drawn  curtains,  allowing  but  little  light  to  enter,  and  the 
thick  carpets  muffling  every  sound,  imparted  an  air  of  almost 
conventual  austerity  to  the  house.  Moreover,  everything 
seemed  to  have  acquired  an  appearance  of  age  ;  it  was  as  if 
one  had  entered  some  ancient  musty  patriarchal  abode.  That 
tall  plain  woman  exercised  an  ever- watchful  surveillance  over 
everything,  gliding  through  the  subdued  stillness  of  the  house 
with  noiseless  steps  ;  and  she  managed  matters  in  such  a 
discreet  ready  way  that  it  seemed  as  if  she  had  spent  twenty 
years  in  the  place  instead  of  a  few  months. 

Rougon  smiled  when  people  congratulated  him.     He  still 


ii8  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

asserted  that  he  had  got  married  on  the  advice  of  his  friends, 
and  that  his  bride  was  their  choice.  She  made  him  very 
happy.  He  had  long  desired  to  have  a  quiet  decorous  home, 
which  might  stand  forth  as  a  material  proof  of  his  respect- 
ability. It  freed  him  from  all  his  doubtful  past  and  placed 
him  amongst  honest  men.  There  was  still  a  deal  of  provin- 
cialism in  his  nature,  and  certain  substantially  furnished 
drawing-rooms  that  he  remembered  at  Plassans,  where  the 
chairs  and  couches  were  kept  swathed  in  white  coverings  the 
whole  year  round,  still  formed  his  ideals.  When  he  called  at 
Delestang's,  where  Clorinde  made  an  extravagant  display  of 
luxury,  he  showed  his  contempt  by  shrugging  his  shoulders. 
Nothing  seemed  to  him  so  ridiculous  as  throwing  money,  as 
it  were,  out  of  the  window ;  not  that  he  was  miserly,  but  he 
said  that  he  could  find  enjoyments  far  preferable  to  those  that 
were  to  be  purchased  with  money.  He  had  committed  to  his 
wife  the  care  of  their  fortune.  Previously  he  had  lived 
without  calculating  his  expenses,  but  now  Madame  Eougon 
attended  to  money  matters  with  the  same  zealous  care  as  she 
showed  in  managing  the  house. 

For  the  first  few  months  after  his  marriage,  Rougon  lived 
a  life  of  seclusion,  preparing  for  the  contest  which  he  dreamt 
of.  He  loved  power  for  its  own  sake,  without  any  hankering 
for  riches  and  honours.  Very  ignorant,  and  of  little  skill  in 
things  which  were  not  connected  with  the  management  of 
men,  it  was  only  his  keen  craving  for  power  that  elevated  him 
to  a  position  of  superiority.  The  ainbition  of  raising  himself 
above  the  crowd,  which  seemed  to  him  to  be  compounded  of 
fools  and  knaves,  and  of  leading  and  driving  men  by  sheer 
force,  developed  most  energetic  skill  and  cunning  in  his  heavy 
nature.  He  believed  only  in  himself,  took  his  convictions 
for  reasons,  and  held  everything  subordinate  to  the  increase 
of  his  personal  influence.  Addicted  to  no  vice,  he  yet  revelled 
as  at  some  secret  orgy  in  the  idea  of  wielding  supreme  power. 
Though  he  had  inherited  his  father's  massive  shoulders  and 
heavy  face,  he  had  derived  from  his  mother,  the  redoubtable 
Felicite  who  governed  Plassans,  a  strong  fiery  will  and  passion 
for  force  which  made  him  disdainful  of  petty  means  and 
commonplace  gratifications.  He  was  certainly  the  greatest  of 
the  Rougons. 

When  he  found  himself  solitary  and  unoccupied  after 
years  of  active  life,  his  first  feeling  was  one  of  delightful 
drowsiness.     It  was  as  though  he  had  had  no  sleep  since  the 


IN  RETIREMENT  119 

exciting  days  of  1851,  and  lie  accepted  his  dismissal  as  a  well- 
deserved  holiday  earned  by  long  service.  He  proposed  to  hold 
himself  aloof  for  six  months,  which  would  give  him  tiine  to 
choose  a  better  battle-ground,  and  then  at  his  own  discretion 
he  could  join  in  the  great  fight  again.  But  in  a  few  weeks'  time 
he  was  already  weary  of  resting.  He  had  never  before  been  so 
clearly  conscious  of  his  own  strength  ;  and  his  head  and  limbs 
became  a  source  of  embarrassment  to  him  now  that  he  was 
no  longer  actively  employing  them.  He  spent  whole  days  in 
pacing  his  little  garden  and  yawning  wearily,  like  one  of  those 
caged  lions  whom  one  sees  restlessly  stretching  their  stiffened 
limbs.  And  now  he  began  to  know  a  most  distasteful  exis- 
tence, the  overwhelming  weariness  of  which  he  carefully  strove 
to  conceal.  To  his  friends  he  professed  himself  perfectly 
happy,  and  declared  that  he  was  well  pleased  to  be  '  out  of 
the  muddle,'  but  his  heavy  eyelids  would  rise  occasionally  in 
order  that  he  might  watch  the  course  of  events,  and  then 
again  drop  over  his  glistening  eyes  as  soon  as  he  saw  anyone 
looking  at  him.  What  helped  more  than  anything  else  to 
keep  him  erect  was  the  unpopularity  which  he  realised  he 
had  incurred.  His  fall  seemed  to  have  caused  much  satisfac- 
tion. Not  a  day  passed  without  some  newspaper  attacking  him  ; 
he  was  spoken  of  as  the  personification  of  the  cowp  d'etat, 
the  proscriptions,  and  of  all  the  other  violent  measures  to 
which  people  referred  in  veiled  language  ;  and  some  writers 
even  went  so  far  as  to  congratulate  the  Emperor  upon  having 
severed  his  connection  with  a  servant  who  had  done  his  best 
to  compromise  him. 

At  the  Tuileries  the  feeling  of  hostility  against  Rougon 
was  even  more  marked.  Marsy,  now  triumphant,  assailed 
him  with  witticisms  which  ladies  retailed  through  the  drawing- 
rooms  of  Paris.  This  bitterness,  however,  actually  comforted 
Rougon  and  confirmed  him  in  his  contempt  for  the  human 
flock  of  sheep.  They  had  not  forgotten  him  ;  they  detested 
him ;  and  that  seemed  very  sweet.  Himself  against  the 
world !  It  was  a  thought  which  had  a  peculiar  charm  for 
him  ;  and  he  saw  himself  standing  alone,  whip  in  hand,  and 
forcing  the  yelping  pack  to  keep  their  distance.  He  revelled 
in  the  insults  which  were  offered  to  him,  and  held  his  head 
higher  than  ever  in  his  haughty  seclusion. 

His  brawny  body,  however,  was  suffering  terribly  from  his 
enforced  inactivity.  If  he  had  dared,  he  would  have  seized  a 
spade  and  dug  up  his   garden.     However,  he   preferred   to 


120  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

commence  a  long  piece  of  writing  in  which  he  would  carefully 
compare  the  English  constitution  with  the  Imperial  constitu- 
tion of  1852,  with  the  idea  of  proving — all  allowance  made 
for  the  history  and  political  customs  of  the  two  nations — that 
the  French  had  as  much  liberty  as  the  English.  However, 
when  he  had  consulted  all  the  necessary  authorities  and 
collected  sufficient  notes,  he  had  to  force  himself  into  taking 
up  the  pen.  He  could  easily  have  made  a  long  speech  on  the 
subject  before  the  Chamber,  but  to  write  a  treatise  in  which 
each  sentence  must  be  carefully  thought  out  appeared  to  him 
a  task  of  immense  difficulty  ;  and  one,  too,  of  no  immediate 
usefulness.  To  express  himself  in  good  hterary  style  had 
always  embarrassed  him,  and  it  was  for  this  reason  that  he 
pretended  to  hold  style  in  contempt.  He  only  got  ten  pages 
of  his  treatise  written,  still  he  left  the  manuscript  on  his 
desk,  though  he  did  not  add  twenty  lines  to  it  a  week.  On 
the  other  hand,  whenever  anybody  asked  him  how  he  em- 
ployed his  time,  he  explained  his  project  at  great  length,  and 
dwelt  on  its  great  import.  This  was  the  excuse  which  he 
employed  to  conceal  the  hateful  emptiness  of  his  life. 

Months  went  on,  and  he  turned  a  yet  more  serene  and 
smiling  face  to  the  world.  Not  a  sign  of  the  utter  weariness 
he  was  suffering  did  he  allow  to  appear.  When  his  intimates 
sympathised  with  him,  he  assured  them  of  his  perfect  felicity 
and  gave  them  the  most  convincing  reasons  for  it.  Had  he 
not  everything  to  make  him  happy  ?  he  asked.  He  delighted 
in  study,  and  now  he  could  work  as  he  listed,  which  was 
infinitely  preferable  to  the  feverish  agitation  of  public  life. 
As  the  Emperor  had  no  need  of  his  services,  he  did  well  to 
leave  him  in  quietude  in  his  little  corner.  He  never  spoke  of 
the  Emperor  in  other  terms  than  those  of  profound  devotion. 
Still,  he  frequently  said  that  at  a  sign  from  his  master  he  was 
perfectly  willing  to  take  up  the  burden  of  power  again,  adding, 
however,  that  he  would  not  venture  on  a  single  step  to  pro 
voke  that  sign.  To  all  appearances,  indeed,  he  was  very 
anxious  to  keep  aloof.  Amidst  the  quietude  of  those  early 
years  of  the  Empire,  amidst  the  nation's  strange  stupor  born 
of  mingled  dread  and  weariness,  he  could  hear  faint  sounds  as 
of  a  coming  awakening,  and,  as  a  supreme  hope,  he  reckoned 
on  some  catastrophe  which  would  suddenly  make  him  neces- 
sary to  the  State.  He  was  the  man  for  critical  situations, 
*  the  man  with  the  big  paws,'  as  M.  de  Marsy  had  put  it. 

The  Rougons  received  their  friends  at  their  house  in  the 


IN  RETIREMENT  121 

Rue  Marbeuf  on  Sundays  and  Thursdays.  They  chatted  in 
the  big  red  drawing-room  till  half-past  ten  o'clock,  at  which 
time  Rougon  pitilessly  turned  them  out  of  doors,  for  he  held 
that  late  hours  fogged  the  brain.  Exactly  at  ten  o'clock, 
Madame  Rougon  herself  served  tea.  Two  plates  of.  little 
cakes  accompanied  the  tea,  but  no  one  ever  touched  them. 

On  the  Thursday  in  the  July  of  that  year  which  followed 
the  general  elections,  the  whole  band  was  assembled  in  the 
drawing-room  at  eight  o'clock.  Madame  Bouchard,  Madame 
Charbonnel,  and  Madame  Correur  sat  in  a  circle  near  an  open 
window  to  inhale  the  occasional  whiffs  of  fresh  air  which 
came  in  from  the  little  garden,  and  in  their  midst  M.  d'Es- 
corailles  related  the  pranks  he  had  played  in  his  Plassans 
days,  when  he  had  often  gone  off  to  Monaco  for  twelve  hours 
or  so,  on  the  pretext  of  taking  part  in  a  shooting  expedition 
with  a  friend.  Madame  Rougon,  who,  dressed  in  black,  sat 
half  concealed  behind  a  curtain,  paid  no  attention  to  all  this, 
but  would  now  and  again  quietly  rise  and  leave  the  room. 
She  frequently  disappeared  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  at  a 
time.  M.  Charbonnel,  however,  was  perched  at  the  edge  of 
an  easy  chair  near  the  ladies,  in  amazement  at  hearing  a 
young  man  of  high  rank  confessing  such  adventures.  At  the 
other  end  of  the  room  stood  Clorinde,  hstening  inattentively 
to  a  conversation  on  crops  which  her  husband  and  M.  Bejuin 
had  started.  She  wore  a  creamy  dress,  freely  trimmed  with 
straw-coloured  ribbons,  and  she  gently  tapped  the  palm  of  her 
left  hand  with  her  fan  while  gazing  at  the  bright  globe  of  the 
one  lamp  with  which  the  drawing-room  was  lighted.  Mean- 
time, Colonel  Jobelin  and  M.  Bouchard  were  playing  piquet 
at  a  card-table,  while  Rougon,  like  a  fortune-teller,  was  con- 
sulting a  pack  of  cards  in  a  corner,  setting  them  out  on  the 
green  cloth  in  a  grave  and  methodical  manner.  This  was  his 
favourite  amusement  on  Thursdays  and  Sundays,  affording 
occupation  both  for  his  fingers  and  his  mind. 

'  Well,  will  it  come  off'  ?  '  Clorinde  asked  with  a  smile  as 
she  approached  him. 

*  It  always  comes  off,'  he  replied  quietly. 

She  remained  standing  on  the  other  side  of  the  table 
while  he  dealt  the  pack  into  eight  small  heaps. 

When  he  had  turned  the  cards  over  and  picked  them  up 
in  pairs — two  aces,  two  kings,  two  queens,  and  so  forth — she 
remarked,  '  Yes,  you  have  managed  it  all  right.  But  what 
did  you  want  the  cards  to  tell  you  ? ' 


122  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

Eougon  slowly  raised  his  eyes  as  though  surprised  at  the 
question.  '  What  kind  of  weather  we  shall  have  to-morrow,' 
he  said  at  length. 

Then  he  began  to  deal  the  cards  afresh.  Delestang  and 
M.  Bejuin  had  now  ceased  talking,  and  the  silence  was  only 
broken  by  pretty  Madame  Bouchard's  rippling  laugh.  Clorinde 
stepped  up  to  a  window  and  stood  there  for  a  moment  peering 
into  the  deepening  twiHght. 

'  Is  there  any  news  of  poor  Monsieur  Kalm  ? '  she  asked, 
without  turning  her  head. 

'  I've  had  a  letter  from  him,'  said  Kougon.  *  I  am 
expecting  him  this  evening.' 

Then  the  conversation  turned  upon  M.  Kahn's  ill-fortune. 
During  the  last  session  of  the  Corps  Legislatif,  he  had  been 
imprudent  enough  to  criticise  a  government  bill  rather  sharply, 
a?,  by  authorising  a  very  dangerous  competition  in  a  neigh- 
bouring district,  it  threatened  the  Bressuire  blast-furnaces 
with  ruin.  In  this,  M.  Kahn  had  not  for  a  moment  imagined 
that  he  bad  exceeded  the  bounds  of  permissible  opposition ; 
but  on  going  down  to  Deux-Sevres,  to  prepare  for  his  re-elec- 
tion, he  had  been  informed  by  the  prefect  himself  that  he  was 
no  longer  the  official  candidate.  He  had  lost  favour,  and  the 
minister  had  just  nominated  a  Niort  attorney,  a  man  of  most 
mediocre  abilities.     This,  of  course,  was  a  crushing  blow. 

Kougon  was  giving  particulars  of  the  matter,  when 
M.  Kahn  himself  came  into  the  room,  followed  by  Du  Poizat. 
They  had  both  arrived  by  the  seven  o'clock  train,  and  had 
only  taken  sufficient  time  to  dine  before  coming  on  to 
Rougon's. 

'  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it  ?  '  said  M.  Kahn,  standing 
in  the  middle  of  the  room,  while  everyone  pressed  round  him. 
'  Fancy  me  being  a  revolutionist !  ' 

Du  Poizat  had  thrown  himself  into  an  easy  chair  with  a 
weary  air.  *  A  nice  campaign  !  '  he  cried.  '  A  pretty  muddle  ! 
It's  enough  to  disgust  all  decent  people  !  ' 

However,  the  company  insisted  upon  M.  Kahn  telling  them 
the  story  in  detail.  He  related  that  on  his  arrival  in  Deux- 
Sevres  he  had  noticed  a  sort  of  embarrassment  among  even  his 
best  friends.  The  prefect  of  the  department,  M.  de  Langlade, 
was  a  man  of  dissolute  character,  whom  he  accused  of  paying 
attentions  to  the  wife  of  the  new  deputy,  the  Niort  attorney. 
However,  this  Langlade  had  told  him  of  the  disfavour  into 
which  he  had  fallen  in  a  kind  enough  fashion  while  they  were 


IN  RETIREMENT  123 

smoking  their  cigars  after  a  breakfast  at  the  prefecture.  Then 
]\I.  Kahn  repeated  the  conversation  which  had  passed  between 
himself  and  M.  de  Langlade.  The  w^orst  of  the  matter,  said 
he,  was  that  his  addresses  and  other  bills  were  already  being 
printed.  He  had  felt  so  indignant  at  first  that  he  had  been 
inclined  to  stand  all  the  same. 

'  Ah  !  if  you  hadn't  written  to  us,'  interposed  Du  Poizat, 
turning  to  Kougon,  '  w^e  should  have  taught  the  government  a 
pretty  lesson  ! ' 

Eougon  shrugged  his  shoulders.  *  You  would  have  failed, 
and  have  compromised  yourselves  for  ever,'  said  he,  as  he 
shuflfled  his  cards.     '  That  would  have  been  a  fine  feat !  * 

'  I  don't  know  what  you're  made  of  ! '  retorted  Du  Poizat, 
jumping  up  with  a  gesture  of  indignation.  '  For  my  part, 
that  fellow  Marsy  is  getting  past  all  bearing.  It  was  you 
that  he  was  aiming  at  when  he  struck  our  friend  Kahn. 
Have  you  seen  his  circulars  to  the  prefects  ?  A  pretty  busi- 
ness his  elections  have  been  !  He  settled  them  all  with  bits 
of  rhetoric  !  Don't  smile  !  If  you  had  been  Minister  of  the 
Interior,  you  would  have  managed  matters  in  a  very  different 
fashion.' 

Then,  seeing  that  Eougon  still  smiled  as  he  looked  at  him, 
he  added  yet  more  violently  :  '  We  were  on  the  spot  and  saw 
the  whole  business.  One  unlucky  fellow,  an  old  comrade  of 
mine,  had  the  temerity  to  come  forward  as  a  Republican 
candidate.  You  can't  imagine  the  abominable  way  in  wdiich 
he  was  treated.  The  prefect,  the  mayors,  the  gendarmes,  the 
whole  clique,  fell  foul  of  him.  They  defaced  and  tore  his 
bills  and  threw  his  bulletins  into  the  ditches  ;  they  arrested 
the  few  poor  devils  who  distributed  his  circulars  ;  and  they 
couldn't  even  leave  his  poor  aunt  alone,  a  most  estimable 
woman,  who  was  obliged  to  beg  him  not  to  come  to  her  house 
any  more,  as  he  only  compromised  her.  And  as  for  the  news- 
papers, they  spoke  of  him  as  though  he  were  a  cut-throat, 
and  now,  whenever  he  passes  through  a  village,  all  the  women 
cross  themselves.' 

Du  Poizat  noisily  drew  breath,  then  flung  himself  into  his 
chair  again  and  continued  :  '  Well,  although  Marsy  has  got  a 
majority  in  all  the  departments,  Paris  at  any  rate  has  returned 
five  opposition  deputies.  That's  the  awakening.  If  the 
Emperor  goes  on  leaving  power  in  the  hands  of  that  big 
coxcomb  of  a  minister  and  those  wanton  prefects,  who  send 
husbands  off  to  the  Chamber  so  that  they  may  make  love  to 


124  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

their  wives,  why,  in  five  years  from  now  the  Empire  will  be 
on  'the  verge  of  ruin.  For  my  part,  I'm  delighted  with  the 
elections  in  Paris.     They  have  avenged  us,  I  think,' 

'  So,  if  you  had  been  a  prefect '  began  Eougon  quietly, 

with  such  a  slight  touch  of  irony  that  his  thick  hps  barely 
curled. 

Du  Poizat  showed  his  irregular  white  teeth,  and  grasped 
the  arms  of  his  chair  with  his  frail,  delicate  hands  as 
though   he   wished   to   twist   them.     '  Oh ! '   said   he,    *  if   I 

had  been  prefect '     But  he  did  not  finish.     He  again  fell 

back  in  his  chair,  and  exclaimed  :  '  It's  getting  quite  sicken- 
ing.    Besides,  in  reality,  I  have  always  been  a  Republican,' 

The  ladies  by  the  window  had  now  turned  their  heads 
towards  the  others,  and  were  listening  to  what  was  being 
said,  M,  d'Escorailles  held  a  large  fan,  with  which  he  was 
fanning  pretty  Madame  Bouchard,  who  looked  quite  overcome 
by  the  heat.  The  colonel  and  M.  Bouchard,  who  had  just 
commenced  a  fresh  game,  ceased  playing  every  now  and  then 
to  express  their  approval  or  disapproval  of  what  was  being 
said  by  nodding  or  shaking  their  heads.  A  wide  circle  of 
chairs  had  been  drawn  up  around  Eougon.  Clorinde,  listen- 
ing attentively  with  her  chin  resting  upon  her  hand,  did  not 
venture  even  on  a  gesture.  Delestang,  dwelling  upon  some 
tender  recollection,  sat  smiling  at  his  wife  ;  while  M.  Bejuin, 
with  his  hands  clasped  on  his  knees,  looked  at  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen  in  succession  with  a  scared  face.  The  sudden 
arrival  of  Du  Poizat  and  M.  Kahn  had  stirred  up  a  perfect 
storm  in  the  quiet  drawing-room.  They  seemed  to  have 
brought  with  them  an  odour  of  opposition. 

'  Well,  in  the  end  I  followed  your  advice  and  retired,' 
resumed  M.  Kahn.  '  I  was  warned  that  if  I  persisted  I  should 
receive  even  worse  treatment  than  the  Republican  candidate — 
I  who  have  served  the  Empire  with  such  devotion !  You 
must  admit  that  such  ingratitude  is  enough  to  damp  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  firmest  supporters.' 

Then  he  bitteiiy  complained  of  a  whole  string  of  annoy- 
ances and  vexations.  He  had  been  anxious  to  start  a  news- 
paper which  should  support  his  scheme  of  a  railway  line  from 
Niort  to  Angers,  and  which  later  on  would  have  become  a 
very  useful  financial  weapon  in  his  hands  ;  but  he  had  been 
refused  the  necessary  authorisation.  M.  de  Marsy  had  sus- 
pected that  Rougon  was  behind  him,  and  that  the  proposed 
journal  would  be  used  for  attacking  his  administration. 


IN  RETIREMENT  125 

'  They  are  afraid  lest  some  one  should  at  last  write  the 
truth  about  them,'  said  Du  Poizat.  '  Ah !  I  would  have  fur- 
nished you  with  some  sweet  articles !  It  is  disgraceful  to 
have  such  a  press  as  we  have,  gagged  and  threatened  with 
suppression  at  the  first  word  of  complaint  it  dares  to  print. 
A  friend  of  mine,  who  is  bringing  out  a  novel  serially,  was 
recently  summoned  to  the  Ministry,  where  a  head  clerk 
requested  him  to  change  the  colour  of  his  hero's  waistcoast, 
as  the  colour  he  had  assigned  to  it  was  distasteful  to  the 
minister.     Oh  !  it's  perfectly  true.     It's  no  invention.' 

He  cited  other  facts,  and  told  them  of  terrible  stories  which 
circulated  among  the  people ;  ot  the  suicides  of  a  young 
actress  and  a  relation  of  the  Emperor's,  and  of  an  alleged 
duel  between  two  generals,  one  of  whom  had  killed  the  other, 
in  one  of  the  corridors  of  the  Tuileries,  as  the  outcome  of 
some  story  of  robbery. ^  '  Would  such  stories  ever  have  found 
any  credence  if  the  press  had  been  allowed  to  speak  freely  ?  ' 
asked  Du  Poizat ;  and  he  added  :  '  I  am  a  Republican, 
decidedly  I  am.' 

'  You  are  very  fortunate,'  remarked  M.  Kahn ;  '  I  no 
longer  know  what  I  am.' 

Rougon,  bending  his  broad  shoulders,  had  just  then  com- 
menced a  very  elaborate  reussite.  His  aim,  after  deahng  his 
thirty-two  cards  three  times,  first  into  seven  heaps,  then  into 
five,  and  finally  into  three,  was  to  bring  the  eight  clubs 
together.  He  seemed  completely  absorbed  in  what  he  was 
doing,  still  he  pricked  up  his  ears  at  certain  words. 

'  The  parliamentary  system  afforded  us  rehable  guarantees,' 
remarked  the  colonel.  '  Ah  !  if  we  could  only  have  the 
princes  back  1  ' 

When  his  fits  of  opposition  were  on.  Colonel  Jobelin  was 
an  Orleanist.  He  often  recounted  the  engagement  of  Mouzaia, 
when  he  had  fought  by  the  side  of  the  Due  d'Aumale,  at  that 
time  a  captain  in  the  fourth  regiment  of  the  Line.  '  We  all 
got  on  very  well  under  Louis  Philippe,'  he  continued,  noticing 
the  silence  with  which  his  expression  of  regret  was  received. 
'  Don't  you  believe  that,  if  we  had  a  responsible  cabinet,  our 
friend  here  would  be  at  the  head  of  the  government  within 
six  months '? ' 

"  This  was  the  duel  between  St.  Arnaud  and  Cornemuse,  in  which 
the  latter  was  killed.  Both  had  been  accused  of  stealing  4,000/.  in  notes 
off  the  Emperor's  table,  but  the  real  culprit  was  probably  King  Jerome, 
Napoleon's  uncle, — Ed, 


126  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

M.  Bouchard,  however,  showed  signs  of  impatience.  He 
professed  himself  a  Legitimist,  probably  because  his  grand- 
lather  had  had  some  connection  with  the  Court  in  former 
days.  Thus,  he  and  his  cousin  Jobelin  often  had  heated 
discussions  upon  politics.  '  Nonsense  !  '  he  exclaimed,  '  your 
July  monarchy  only  existed  by  dint  of  expedients.  There  is 
only  one  real  principle,  as  you  know  very  well.' 

Thereupon  they  began  to  get  rather  warm.  They  made  a 
clean  sweep  of  the  Empire,  and  each  installed  in  its  place 
the  government  of  his  particular  choice.  Would  the  Orleans 
family,  cried  Jobelin,  have  ever  made  the  decoration  of  an  old 
soldier  a  matter  of  bargain  ?  Would  the  Legitimist  kings, 
retorted  Bouchard,  ever  have  been  guilty  of  such  unjust 
favouritism  as  was  now  to  be  seen  every  day  in  the  govern- 
ment offices  ?  Thus  they  went  on  till  they  covertly  alluded 
to  one  another  as  fools,  when  all  at  once  the  colonel,  angrily 
picking  up  his  cards,  exclaimed :  '  Make  less  noise,  do  you 
hear,  Bouchard,  and  please  attend  to  the  game  ! ' 

Delestang,  whom  the  dispute  had  awakened  from  his 
reverie,  now  felt  bound  to  defend  the  Empire.  Certainly, 
said  he,  it  was  not  everything  that  he  could  wish.  He  would 
have  liked  a  government  of  broader  sympathies.  And  he 
attempted  to  explain  his  aspirations,  which  embraced  a  some- 
what involved  form  of  socialism,  with  such  desiderata  as  the 
extinction  of  pauperism  and  the  co-operation  of  the  working 
classes,  a  system,  in  fact,  much  like  that  of  his  model  farm 
of  Chamade,  but  on  a  large  scale.  While  her  husband  spoke, 
wagging  his  handsome  head  with  an  official  air,  Clorinde 
kept  her  eyes  on  him,  and  slightly  pouted. 

'  Yes,  certainly  I'm  a  Bonapartist,'  he  repeated ;  '  a 
liberal  Bonapartist,  if  you  like.' 

'  And  you,  Bejuin  ?  '  M.  Kahn  suddenly  inquired. 

'  Oh,  I  am  one  too,'  replied  M.  Bejuin  ;  '  there  are  shades 
and  distinctions  of  course,  but  I  am  certainly  a  Bonapartist.' 

Du  Poizat  burst  into  a  shrill  laugh.  '  Of  course,  you  are  !  ' 
he  exclaimed.  And  as  they  pressed  him  to  explain  himself, 
he  continued  :  '  Oh !  you  amuse  me.  You  haven't  been 
turned  out,  you  see.  Delestang  is  still  a  member  of  the 
Council  of  State,  and  Bejuin  has  just  been  re-elected.' 

'  That  was  a  matter  of  course,'  said  Bejuin ;  *  the  prefect 
of  the  Cher ' 

'  Oh,  you  are  not  responsible,  I  don't  accuse  you.  We  all 
know   how    these   matters   are   worked.      Combelot,    too,   is 


IN  RETIREMENT  127 

re-elected,  and  La  Eouquette  also.     So,  of  course,  the  Empire 
is  a  magnificent  institution  !  ' 

M.  d'Eseorailles,  who  was  still  fanning  pretty  Madame 
Bouchard,  now  felt  constrained  to  put  in  a  word.  He  defended 
the  Empire  from  another  point  of  view.  He  had  adhered  to 
it,  he  said,  because  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  Emperor  had  a 
grand  mission  to  fulfil.  '  The  salvation  of  France  before  every- 
thing else  !  ' 

'  You  have  retained  your  berth  as  auditor,  haven't  you  ?  ' 
asked  Du  Poizat,  raising  his  voice.  '  AVell,  then,  there's  no 
difficulty  in  guessing  your  opinions.  You  all  seem  terribly 
scandahsed  by  what  I'm  saying  ;  but  it  is  a  very  simple 
matter.  Kahn  and  I,  you  see,  are  no  longer  paid  to  keep  our 
eyes  shut." 

At  this  the  others  began  to  show  a  little  temper.  It  was 
disgraceful  to  take  such  a  view  of  politics,  they  said.  There 
were  other  things  besides  personal  interests  to  be  consider^'d. 
Even  the  colonel  and  M.  Bouchard,  although  they  were  not 
Bonapartists  themselves,  admitted  that  a  man  might  be  a 
Bonapartist  in  all  good  faith  ;  and  they  waxed  hot  in  support 
of  their  own  principles,  as  though  an  attempt  was  being  made 
to  wrench  them  from  them.  As  for  Delestang,  he  seemed 
much  offended.  He  complained  that  he  had  been  quite  mis- 
understood, and  went  on  to  point  out  how  he  difl'ered  from  the 
blind  partisans  of  the  Empire.  This  led  him  into  fresh 
explanations  of  the  democratic  developments  which  he  thought 
compatible  with  the  Emperor's  government.  Then  both  M. 
Bejuin  and  M.  d'Eseorailles  objected  to  be  looked  upon  as 
Bonapartists  pure  and  simple.  They  spoke  of  many  different 
shades  of  opinion,  each  clinging  to  his  own  particular,  but 
somewhat  vaguely  defined,  views.  And  thus  in  ten  minutes 
or  so  the  whole  company  had  gone  over  to  the  opposition. 
Voices  rang  out  in  dispute,  and  such  terms  as  '  Legitimist,' 
'  Orleanist,'  and  '  Eepublican,'  were  bandied  about  amidst 
repeated  declarations  of  political  faith.  Madame  Rougon 
looked  in  at  one  of  the  doors  for  a  moment,  as  if  somewhat 
uneasy,  and  then  quietly  disappeared  again. 

Rougon,  however,  had  now  just  succeeded  in  getting  his 
clubs  into  proper  sequence,  whereupon  Clorinde  stooped  and 
asked  him  amidst  the  general  uproar :  '  Well,  have  you 
managed  it  ?  ' 

'  Certainly,'  he  replied,  with  his  quiet  smile.  Then,  as  if 
he  had  only  just  become  aware  of  the  war  of  words  that  was 


128  HIS  EXCELLENCE 

going  on,  he  shook  his  hand,  remarking  :  *  You  are  making  a 
lot  of  noise.' 

Thinking  that  he  wanted  to  say  something,  the  others 
then  ceased  talking,  and  perfect  silence  ensued.  However, 
while  they  waited,  Rougon  simply  spread  thirteen  cards  upon 
the  table,  reckoned  them  over,  and  finally,  amidst  general  at- 
tention, exclaimed  :  '  Three  queens,  the  sign  of  a  quarrel.  A 
dark  woman,  who  is  not  to  be  trusted ' 

But  Du  Poizat  impatiently  interrupted  him.  'Well, 
Rougon,  and  what  is  your  opinion  ?  ' 

The  great  man  thereupon  threw  himself  back  in  his  chair 
and  stretched  his  legs,  while  raising  his  hand  to  his  mouth  to 
conceal  a  slight  yawn.  And  he  raised  his  chin  as  though  his 
neck  were  paining  him. 

'  Oh,  I,'  he  said,  with  his  eyes  turned  to  the  ceiling,  '  I 
believe  in  the  principle  of  authority.  It  is  a  necessity  with 
me.  It  was  born  with  me.  It  is  very  foolish  of  you  to 
wrangle.  In  France,  whenever  one  gets  five  men  together,  it 
is  certain  that  five  different  kinds  of  government  are  repre- 
sented. But  that  doesn't  prevent  a  man  from  loyally  serving 
the  estabhshed  government.  That  is  so,  is  it  not  ?  You're 
talking  just  for  the  sake  of  talking.' 

Then  he  let  his  chin  drop  and  glanced  slowly  round  the 
room,  as  he  resumed :  '  Marsy  has  managed  the  elections  very 
well.  You  did  wrong  to  blame  his  circulars.  The  last  one 
was  an  extremely  good  one.  And  as  for  the  press,  I  think 
that  it  has  too  much  liberty  already.  What  kind  of  state 
should  we  be  in,  if  any  one  could  write  everything  he  hked  ? 
I  should  have  taken  the  same  course  as  Marsy  in  refusing  to 
grant  Kahn  permission  to  start  a  newspaper.  It  is  always 
unwise  to  provide  your  opponents  with  weapons.  Soft-hearted 
Empires  invariably  come  to  grief.  France  requires  an  iron 
hand,  and  is  none  the  worse  for  being  grasped  a  little  tightly.' 

Delestang  felt  bound  to  protest  against  this.  '  But,  at  any 
rate,  there  are  certain  necessary  liberties '  he  commenced. 

Clorinde,  however,  made  him  stop.  She  had  expressed 
her  approval  of  all  Rougon  had  said  by  ostentatious  nods. 
She  had  even  brought  herself  forward  so  that  he  might  see 
her  better,  submissive  and  convinced  before  him.  And  it  was 
at  her  that  he  cast  a  quick  glance  as  he  exclaimed :  '  Oh,  yes! 
the  necessary  liberties  !  I  was  expecting  that  they  would  be 
dragged  in  !  Well,  if  the  Emperor  took  my  advice,  he  would 
never  grant  a  single  liberty.' 


IN  RETIREMENT  129 

Then  as  Delestang  again  showed  an  inclination  to  protest, 
his  wife  reduced  him  to  silence  by  a  threatening  frown  of  her 
beautiful  brow. 

'  Never  ! '  repeated  Eougon  energetically.  And  he  sprang 
from  his  chair  and  looked  so  formidable  that  no  one  ventured 
to  speak  a  word.  Then,  however,  he  dropped  down  again,  and 
his  limbs  seemed  to  grow  limp  as  he  muttered  :  '  You've  made 

me  shout  as  well However,  I'm  only  a  simple  private 

citizen  now,  and  have  no  occasion  to  mix  myself  up  in  it  all, 
thank  goodness.  Heaven  grant  that  the  Emperor  may  have 
no  further  occasion  for  my  services  !  ' 

Just  at  that  moment  the  door  of  the  drawing-room  was 
opened,  and  Eougon,  raising  his  finger  to  his  mouth,  added  in 
a  whisper  :  '  Hush  !  ' 

It  was  M.  La  Eouquette  who  entered.  Eougon  suspected 
that  he  came  to  the  Eue  Marbeuf  at  the  instigation  of  his 
sister,  Madame  de  Llorentz,  to  spy  upon  what  went  on  there. 
M.  de  Marsy,  although  he  had  only  been  married  six  months, 
had  just  renewed  his  intimacy  with  this  lady,  whose  name 
had  been  associated  with  his  own  for  nearly  two  years.  And 
so  as  soon  as  the  young  deputy  made  his  appearance,  politics 
were  set  aside  and  the  drawing-room  resumed  its  decorous 
quietude.  Eougon  himself  went  to  fetch  a  large  shade  which 
he  placed  over  the  lamp,  and  then  one  saw  only  the  withered 
hands  of  the  colonel  and  M.  Bouchard  throwing  down  their 
cards  in  the  circle  of  yellow  light.  At  the  window  Madame 
Charbonnel  was  now  telling  her  troubles  in  a  low  voice  to 
Madame  Correur,  while  M.  Charbonnel  punctuated  each  detail 
with  a  deep  sigh.  They  would  soon  have  been  two  years  in 
Paris,  the  lady  was  saying  sadly,  and  their  wretched  lawsuit 
seemed  as  though  it  would  never  end.  On  the  day  before  she 
had  been  obliged  to  buy  herself  six  new  chemises  and  her 
husband  six  new  shirts,  having  learnt  that  the  matter  had 
been  again  adjourned.  Somewhat  in  the  rear  of  this  group, 
near  a  curtain,  was  Madame  Bouchard,  who  had  apparently 
dropped  asleep,  rendered  drow^sy  by  the  heat.  M.  d'Escorailles 
approached  her  again,  and  then,  as  no  one  was  looking,  he 
had  the  calm  impudence  to  print  a  kiss  upon  her  half-closed 
lips.  At  this,  she  opened  her  eyes,  looking  very  solemn,  but 
she  kept  quite  still. 

'  Oh  dear,  no  ! '  M.  La  Eouquette  was  saying  just  at  that 
moment ;  '  I  haven't  been  to  the  Varietes.  I  saw  the  full- 
dress  rehearsal  of  the  piece.     It's  a  tremendous  success  ;  the 

£ 


130  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

music  is  wonderfully  gay.     It  will  draw  all  Paris.     But  to-day 
I  had  some  work  to  finish,  something  I  am  preparing.' 

He  had  shaken  hands  with  the  men,  and  had  gallantly 
kissed  Clorinde's  wrist  above  her  glove.  And  he  remained 
standing,  smiling  and  leaning  against  the  back  of  an  arm- 
chair. He  was  irreproachably  dressed,  and  there  was  an 
assumption  of  solemn  gravity  in  the  way  in  which  his  frock- 
coat  was  buttoned  up. 

'By-the-bye,'  he  said,  addressing  himself  to  the  master  of 
the  house,  '  djyropos  of  your  great  work,  I  should  like  to  call 
your  attention  to  a  most  interesting  paper  on  the  Enghsh 
constitution  which  has  just  appeared  in  a  Vienna  review.  Are 
you  making  progress  ?  ' 

'  Oh,  I'm  getting  on  very  slowly,'  Eougon  replied.  '  I 
have  got  to  a  chapter  which  gives  me  a  great  deal  of  trouble.' 

As  a  rule  he  delighted  to  make  the  young  deputy  talk, 
for  through  him  he  learnt  all  that  went  on  at  the  Tuileries. 
He  felt  sure  that  La  Rouquette  had  been  sent  to  his  house 
that  evening  to  find  out  what  he  thought  about  the  success 
of  the  official  candidates,  and  he  succeeded  in  worming  a 
large  amount  of  information  out  of  him,  though  he  himself 
did  not  make  a  remark  that  was  worth  repeating.  He  began 
by  congratulating  the  young  man  upon  his  own  election,  and 
then  kept  up  the  conversation  by  occasional  nods.  La 
Rouquette,  who  was  fond  of  talking,  rattled  on  without  a 
pause.  The  Court  was  delighted,  he  said.  The  Emperor 
had  learnt  the  result  of  the  elections,  at  Plombieres,  and  it 
was  said  that  on  the  arrival  of  the  telegram  he  had  been 
obliged  to  sit  down,  as  his  legs  gave  way  with  emotion.  But 
there  was  one  great  source  of  uneasiness  amidst  the  victory. 
Paris  had  shown  monstrous  ingratitude. 

'  Pooh  !  Paris  can  be  muzzled ! '  said  Rougon,  stifling 
another  yawn,  as  though  bored  at  finding  nothing  of  interest 
in  all  M.  La  Rouquette's  chatter. 

Ten  o'clock  struck,  and  Madame  Rougon,  having  placed 
a  small  round  table  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  began  to  serve 
the  tea.  The  company  scattered  in  little  groups  about  the 
room.  M.  Kahn  was  standing  cup  in  hand  in  front  of 
Delestang,  who  never  took  tea  because  it  affected  his  nerves, 
and  was  giving  him  some  additional  particulars  of  his 
journey  to  La  Vendee.  His  great  scheme  for  a  railway  from 
Niort  to  Angers  was  no  further  advanced,  he  said.  However, 
that  scamp  of  a  Langlade,  the  prefect  of  Deux- Sevres,  had 


IN  RETIREMENT  131 

audaciously  availed  himself  of  it  to  influence  the  constituency 
in  favour  of  the  new  official  candidate. 

Meantime.  M.  La  Kouquette,  who  had  slipped  behind  the 
ladies,  was  whispering  remarks  which  made  them  smile; 
while  Madame  Correur,  screened  by  a  rampart  of  chairs, 
talked  somewhat  excitedly  to  Du  Poizat.  She  asked  him 
about  her  brother  IMartineau,  the  notary  at  Coulonges,  and  the 
other  told  her  that  he  had  seen  him  for  a  moment  in  front 
of  the  church,  looking  just  the  same  as  ever,  with  his  hard 
face  and  solenm  air.  Then,  as  she  started  on  her  usual  re- 
criminations, he  mischievously  advised  her  never  to  go  home 
again,  as  Madame  Martineau  had  sworn  she  would  fling  her 
out  of  doors.  Madame  Correur  finished  her  tea,  feeUng  quite 
choked. 

'  Come,  my  children,  it's  time  to  go  to  bed,'  said  Rougon 
paternally. 

It  was  now  twenty-five  minutes  past  ten,  and  he  gave 
them  five  minutes  longer.  Some  of  the  company,  however, 
withdrew  at  once.  Rougon  went  to  the  door  with  M.  Kahn 
and  M.  Bejuin,  whom  Madame  Rougon  invariably  charged 
with  compliments  for  their  wives,  though  she  saw  the  ladies 
twice  a  year  at  the  utmost.  Then  Rougon  gently  pushed  the 
Charbonnels  towards  the  door.  They  were  always  greatly 
embarrassed  about  taking  their  leave.  And  afterwards,  as 
pretty  Madame  Bouchard  was  going  off"  between  M. 
d'Escorailles  and  M.  La  Rouquette,  he  turned  to  the  card- 
table  and  exclaimed :  '  Come,  Monsieur  Bouchard,  they  are 
carrying  off  your  wife  ! ' 

But  the  chief-clerk,  without  appearing  to  hear,  went  on 
calling  out  his  points :  '  A  major  quint  in  clubs !  That's 
good,  eh  ?     Three  kings  ;  they  are  good  too.' 

However,  Rougon  gathered  up  the  cards.  *  Come,  you've 
had  enough  ! '  said  he.  '  Get  away  home  with  you.  You 
ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourselves  for  getting  so  excited  over 
it.     Come,  colonel,  come.' 

It  was  just  the  same  every  Thursday  and  Sunday.  He 
had  to  stop  them  in  the  middle  of  a  game,  and  sometimes 
even  turn  the  lamp  out  before  they  would  give  up  their  play. 
And  they  went  oft',  disputing  with  each  other. 

Delestang  and  Clorinde  were  the  last  to  go,  and  while  her 

husband  was  hunting  about  the  room  for  her  fan,  the  young 

woman  said  to  Rougon  in  an  undertone  :  '  It  is  foolish  of  you 

not  to  take  a  little  exercise  ;  you  will  make  yourself  ill.' 

s2 


132  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

However  he  made  a  gesture  of  indifference  and  resigna- 
tion :  Madame  Kougon  was  already  gathering  together  the 
cups  and  teaspoons.  Then  as  Delestang  shook  hands  with 
him,  the  great  man  frankly  yawned  in  his  face.  In  order, 
however,  that  they  might  not  think  his  evening  had  bored 
him,  he  excused  himself  by  saying :  *  Ah !  dash  it,  I  shall 
sleep  well  to-night.' 

The  evenings  always  passed  away  in  this  manner.  There 
was  a  sombre  atmosphere  about  the  room,  and  Du  Poizat 
even  said  that  '  it  smelt  too  much  of  cant.'  Clorinde  called 
very  frequently.  She  often  came  by  herself  in  the  afternoon 
to  fulfil  some  commission  with  which  she  had  charged 
herself.  She  would  playfully  tell  Madame  Eougon  that  she 
had  come  to  make  love  to  her  husband,  and  the  wife,  with  a 
smile  on  her  pale  lips,  would  leave  them  together  for  hours 
at  a  time.  They  conversed  familiarly,  without  appearing  to 
recollect  the  past,  exchanging  friendly  grasps  of  the  hand 
in  the  very  room  where  but  a  year  before  Rougon  had  paced 
up  and  down,  so  restless  with  passion.  But  they  seemed  to 
have  forgotten  all  that,  and  gave  themselves  up  to  quiet 
friendship.  Eougon  would  push  back  the  young  woman's 
straying  hair,  which  always  seemed  to  be  blowing  loose,  or 
help  her  with  the  train  of  her  dress,  which  was  invariably 
very  long  and  apt  to  become  entangled  among  the  chairs. 
One  day,  as  they  went  through  tlie  garden,  she  had  the 
curiosity  to  push  the  stable-door  open.  She  even  entered, 
giving  a  glance  at  Eougon  and  laughing  lightly.  But  he 
merely  remarked  with  a  smile,  as  he  stood  with  his  hands  in 
his  pockets  :  '  How  foolish  people  can  be  sometimes !  ' 

Whenever  she  came  to  see  him,  he  always  gave  her  good 
advice.  He  spoke  much  in  favour  of  Delestang,  who,  on  the 
whole,  made  a  very  good  husband.  Clorinde  said  that  she 
had  great  esteem  for  him,  and  he  did  not  appear  to  have  any 
cause  of  complaint  against  her.  She  said  that  she  never 
flirted,  and  this  Avas  quite  true.  Her  slightest  remarks 
seemed  tinged  with  indifference,  almost  with  contempt,  for 
men.  When  any  one  spoke  of  a  woman  with  more  lovers 
than  could  be  counted,  an  expression  of  surprise  would  come 
into  her  big  childlike  eyes,  and  she  would  ask  what  pleasure 
any  one  could  find  in  such  conduct.  For  weeks  together  she 
seemed  unconscious  of  her  beauty,  and  only  recollected  it  in 
some  emergency,  when  she  availed  herself  of  it  as  a  weapon. 
One  day  when  Eougon,  who  harped  upon  the  subject  with 


IN  RETIREMENT  133 

singular  pertinacity,  was  advising  her  to  keep  faithful  to 
Delestang,  she  ended  by  getting  angry  and  exclaiming  :  '  Oh, 
leave  me  alone.  I'm  quite  aware  of  all  you're  saying.  Keally, 
you  are  becoming  ofl'ensive.'  And  on  another  day  she  added 
bluntly  :  *  After  all,  it  is  no  concern  of  yours.' 

Rougon  blushed,  and  for  some  time  afterwards  said  nothing 
more  on  the  subject  of  her  duties  and  the  proprieties.  A 
persistent  thrill  of  jealousy  was  all  that  now  remained  to 
him  of  his  old  passion.  He  watched  her  in  the  di-awing- 
rooms  which  she  frequented  ;  and,  if  he  had  scented  any 
intrigue,  he  would  probably  have  warned  her  husband.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  when  he  was  alone  with  the  latter,  he  did 
try  to  put  him  on  his  guard,  by  spealdng  of  his  wife's  extra- 
ordinary beauty.  But  Delestang  always  laughed  with  an  air 
of  fatuous  confidence,  and  it  was  Rougon  who  really  endured 
all  the  jealous  torments  of  a  betrayed  husband. 

His  other  counsels,  practical  ones,  testified  to  his  great 
affection  for  Clorinde.  It  was  he  who  by  degrees  persuaded 
her  to  send  her  mother  back  to  Italy.  Countess  I3albi,  left 
alone  in  her  little  house  in  the  Champs  Elysees,  had  begun 
to  lead  a  careless  life  which  gave  rise  to  much  talk.  Rougon 
took  upon  himself  to  settle  the  delicate  question  of  an  allow- 
ance. The  house  was  next  sold,  and  thus  the  young  woman's 
past  was  wiped  out.  Then  Rougon  tried  to  cure  her  of  her 
eccentricities,  but  in  this  matter  he  found  himself  confronted 
by  utter  naivete,  and  resolute  feminine  obstinacy.  Clorinde, 
now  that  she  was  married  and  wealthy,  squandered  money 
lavishly,  though  she  was  subject  to  sudden  impulses  of  sordid 
avarice.  She  had  kept  her  little  maid,  the  dusky  Antonia, 
who  sucked  oranges  from  morning  till  night ;  and  between 
them  they  made  an  abominable  mess  of  Clorinde's  rooms  in 
the  big  house  in  the  Rue  du  Colisee.  When  Rougon  went 
to  see  the  young  woman,  he  would  find  dirty  plates  on  the 
chairs,  and  bottles  of  syrup  strewn  along  the  floor  beside  the 
wall.  Beneath  the  furniture  too  he  could  espy  an  untidy 
accumulation  of  things  which  had  been  hastily  thrust  out  of 
sight  when  he  was  announced. 

And  amidst  the  greasy  hangings  and  soiled,  dusty  wood- 
work, Clorinde  still  indulged  in  the  most  extraordinary 
caprices.  She  would  often  receive  her  friends  wrapt  round 
with  a  rug,  and  lying  on  a  couch,  while  complaining  of  the 
strangest  disorders — of  a  dog,  for  instance,  which  was  gnawing 
at  her  foot,  or  of  a  pin  which  she  had  accidentally  swallowed, 


134  ^IS  EXCELLENCY 

and  the  point  of  which  must  be  trying  to  force  its  way  out 
through  her  leg.  At  other  times  she  would  close  the  shutters 
at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  light  all  the  candles,  and 
begin  to  dance  with  Ajitonia,  the  one  facing  the  other,  and 
indulging  in  such  paroxysms  of  laughter  that  when  Rougon 
arrived  the  maid  had  to  stand  panting  by  the  door  for  five 
miimtes  before  she  could  leave  the  room.  One  day  too 
Clorinde  determined  to  remain  invisible ;  she  sewed  her  bed 
curtains  together  from  top  to  bottom  ;  and  sat  up  on  the 
bolster  inside  the  cage  she  had  thus  formed,  talking  to 
Eougon  for  more  than  an  hour,  as  calmly  as  though  they 
had  been  sitting  on  either  side  of  the  fire.  These  extrava- 
gancies seemed  quite  natural  to  her.  When  Rougon  chided 
her  for  them,  she  appeared  quite  surprised,  and  declared  that 
she  was  doing  nothing  improper.  It  was  in  vain  that  he 
preached  propriety  to  her,  and  promised  to  make  her  the 
most  fascinating  woman  in  Paris  in  a  month's  time,  if  she 
would  let  herself  be  guided  by  him  ;  she  only  grew  angry, 
and  exclaimed  :  '  It's  my  nature  to  be  like  this  ;  I  always  go 
on  like  this.  What  harm  does  it  do  anybody  ? '  And  some- 
times she  would  smile  and  say :  '  Oh,  well,  people  love  me 
all  the  same !     Don't  preach  !  ' 

Delestang,  indeed,  worshipped  her.  To  him  she  was 
quite  unlike  a  wife,  but  for  that  very  reason  exercised  the 
more  influence.  He  shut  his  eyes  to  her  caprices,  smitten 
with  a  terrible  fear  lest  she  should  leave  him,  as  she  had  one 
day  threatened  to  do.  Beneath  his  meek  submission  there 
was  probably  a  feeling  that  she  was  his  superior,  well  able  to 
do  whatever  she  liked  with  him.  In  society  he  treated  her 
almost  like  a  child,  and  spoke  to  her  with  the  complacency 
of  a  serious  man.  But  when  they  were  by  themselves,  this 
handsome  fellow,  with  the  haughty  head,  would  burst  into 
tears  if  she  would  not  let  him  kiss  her.  The  only  check  he 
put  upon  her  was  to  take  possession  of  the  keys  of  the  first 
floor  rooms,  in  order  that  the  reception  apartments  might  be 
kept  free  from  grease  and  dirt. 

Rougon,  though  he  failed  in  some  things,  managed  to 
induce  Clorinde  to  dress  a  little  more  like  other  people.  With 
all  her  failings  she  was  very  shrewd,  with  the  shrewdness  of 
those  lunatics  who  in  lucid  intervals  manage  to  appear  per- 
fectly rational  before  strangers.  He  met  her  at  certain  houses, 
looking  very  demure  and  reserved,  allowing  her  husband  to 
do  all  the  talking,  and  remaining  quite  decorous  amidst  the 


IN  RETIREMENT  135 

admiration  excited  by  ber  beauty.  At  ber  own  bouse, 
Eougon  frequently  found  M.  de  Plouguern,  and  Clorinde 
would  sit  between  tbem  making  playful  remarks,  while  tbey 
poured  fortb  moral  disquisitions  for  ber  benefit.  Sometimes 
the  old  senator  would  familiarly  pat  tbe  girl's  cheeks,  much 
to  Rougon's  annoyance,  though  he  never  ventured  to  express 
what  he  thought  on  the  subject.  He  was  more  coiu'ageous 
with  regard  to  Luigi  Pozzo,  Chevalier  Rusconi's  secretary, 
whom  he  bad  frequently  noticed  leaving  the  bouse  at  unusual 
hours.  When  he  hinted  to  the  young  woman  that  this  might 
compromise  ber  very  seriously,  she  raised  ber  eyes  with  a 
pretty  look  of  surprise,  and  burst  out  laughing.  She  didn't 
care  for  what  people  thought,  she  cried.  Besides,  Luigi 
counted  for  nothing.  He  was  her  cousin,  and  be  brought  ber 
little  Milanese  cakes,  which  be  purchased  for  her  in  the 
Passage  Colbert. 

It  was  with  politics,  however,  that  Clorinde's  mind  was 
chiefly  occupied.  Since  she  had  married  Delestang,  her  brain 
bad  been  busy  with  deep  and  intricate  matters,  of  which  no 
one  knew  the  importance.  She  found  in  tbem,  however,  a 
means  of  satisfying  her  craving  for  intrigue,  which  had  so 
long  found  scope  in  ber  attempts  to  ensnare  those  whom  she 
thought  to  be  coming  men ;  and  she  seemed  to  be  preparing 
herself  in  this  way  for  some  yet  greater  schemes  which  she 
had  in  contemplation.  She  kept  up  a  regular  correspondence 
with  her  mother,  who  was  now  settled  at  Turin ;  and  went 
almost  every  day  to  tbe  Sardinian  legation,  where  Chevalier 
Rusconi  took  ber  apart,  and  talked  to  ber  in  low  tones.  Then 
too  she  went  on  mysterious  errands  to  all  parts  of  Paris, 
making  furtive  visits  to  great  personages,  and  keeping 
appointments  in  the  most  out-of-the-way  places.  All  the 
Venetian  refugees,  the  Brambillas,  and  tbe  Staderinos,  and 
the  Viscardis,  came  to  see  ber  secretly,  and  gave  ber  scraps 
of  paper  covered  with  memoranda.  She  had  bought  a  large 
red  morocco  case,  a  genuine  ministerial  portfolio  with  a  steel 
lock,  and  in  it  she  stowed  away  a  wonderful  collection  of 
documents.  When  she  drove  out,  she  kept  it  on  her  knees 
like  a  muff;  and  wherever  she  called  she  carried  it  about  with 
her  under  ber  arm  ;  and  she  might  even  be  met  early  in  tbe 
morning,  on  foot,  clasping  it  against  her  breast  with  both  ber 
bands.  Tbe  case  soon  began  to  look  worn,  and  it  split  at 
the  seams.  Then  she  buckled  straps  round  it.  And  ever 
laden  as  she  was  with  this  shapeless  leather  case  bursting 


136  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

with  papers,  she  looked  hke  some  money-grubbing  solicitor 
running  from  one  police-court  to  another  in  the  hope  of 
picking  up  a  petty  fee. 

Eougon  had  made  several  attempts  to  discover  what  it 
was  that  so  engrossed  Clorinde's  thoughts.  One  day  when 
he  was  left  alone  for  a  few  moments  with  her  famous  port- 
folio, he  had  not  scrupled  to  pull  out  some  letters  which  pro- 
truded through  its  gaps.  But  all  that  he  could  find  out  in 
one  fashion  or  another  seemed  to  him  so  incoherent  and  dis- 
connected that  he  smiled  at  the  young  woman's  pretensions 
to  politics.  One  afternoon,  however,  she  quietly  began  to 
expound  to  him  a  vast  scheme.  She  was  working  to  bring 
about  an  alliance  between  France  and  Italy,  in  view  of  a 
speedy  campaign  against  Austria.  Rougon,  who  for  a  moment 
was  very  much  struck  by  this,  ended  by  shrugging  his  shoul- 
ders at  the  heap  of  absurdities  which  found  place  in  her 
plan.  He  had  in  no  way  modified  his  opinion  about  women. 
Clorinde,  on  her  side,  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  seemed  to 
accept  the  subordinate  position  of  a  disciple  quite  willingly. 
When  she  went  to  see  him  in  the  Rue  Marbeuf,  she  assumed 
an  air  of  submissive  humility,  and  questioned  him,  and 
listened  to  hira  with  the  eagerness  of  a  neophyte  anxious 
for  instruction.  For  his  part,  he  frequently  forgot  to  whom 
he  Avas  speaking,  and  unfolded  his  theory  of  government,  and 
talked  to  her  in  the  most  unrestrained  and  confidential 
manner.  In  fact,  their  conversations  gradually  became  a 
regular  habit,  and  he  made  her  his  confidante,  breaking  the 
silence  which  he  observed  in  the  presence  of  his  best  friends, 
and  treating  her  like  a  discreet  pupil,  whose  respectful  admira- 
tion had  a  great  charm  for  him. 

During  the  months  of  August  and  September,  Clorinde 
increased  the  frequency  of  her  visits.  She  would  call  on 
Rougon  three  or  four  times  a  week,  and  never  had  she  shown 
herself  so  gentle  and  affectionate.  She  paid  him  the  most 
flattering  compliments,  eulogised  his  genius,  and  spoke 
regretfully  of  the  great  things  which  he  would  have  accom- 
plished if  he  had  not  retired.  One  day,  as  an  idea  flashed 
through  his  mind,  he  said  to  her  with  a  laugh  :  '  There's 
something  you  want  me  to  do  for  you  ?  ' 

'  Yes,'  she  replied  candidly. 

But  she  quickly  reassumed  her  expression  of  admiring 
wonder.  Politics  were  much  more  interesting  than  novels, 
she  declared.     However,  whenever  Rougon  turned  his  back 


IN  RETIREMENT  137 

for  a  moment,  she  would  open  her  eyes  quite  widely,  and  a 
momentary  gleam  would  flash  from  them,  suggesting  some  old 
feeling  of  bitterness  which  still  lived  on.  She  often  let  her 
hands  linger  in  his,  as  though  she  still  felt  too  weak  for  what 
she  was  contemplating,  and  was  waiting  till  she  had  drained 
away  sufticient  of  his  strength  to  be  able  to  throttle  him. 

However,  his  increasing  lassitude  at  this  juncture  was 
really  a  source  of  much  uneasiness  to  her.  He  seemed  to  be 
falling  fast  asleep  amidst  his  boredom.  She  had  made,  at 
first,  full  allowance  for  all  possible  pretence  which  there 
might  be  in  his  demeanour,  but  was  at  length  forced  to 
believe  that  he  really  did  feel  discouraged.  His  move- 
ments had  grown  sluggish,  and  his  voice  languid  ;  and  some- 
times he  seemed  so  listless  and  indifferent  that  the  young 
woman  felt  quite  alarmed,  and  seriously  wondered  if  he  were 
not  going  to  abide  by  his  relegation  to  the  Senate  as  a  played- 
out  politician. 

Towards  the  end  of  September,  however,  Rougon  seemed 
very  thoughtful.  At  last,  in  one  of  his  customary  conversa- 
tions with  Clorinde,  he  told  her  that  he  was  maturing  a  great 
scheme.  He  was  growing  weary  of  Paris,  and  needed  fresh 
air.  Then  all  at  once  he  spoke  out.  It  was  a  great  scheme 
of  an  altogether  fresh  life  :  a  voluntary  exile  to  the  Landes  of 
Gascony,  the  clearing  of  several  square  leagues  of  ground, 
and  the  founding  of  a  new  town  amidst  the  conquered 
territory.     Clorinde  turned  quite  pale  as  she  listened  to  him. 

'  But  your  position  here  !  '  she  cried  ;  '  your  prospects  !  ' 

'  Bah  !  castles  in  the  air  ! '  he  said  disdainfully.  '  I  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  I  am  not  cut  out  for  politics.' 

Then  he  reverted  to  his  pet  idea  of  being  a  great  land- 
owner, with  herds  of  cattle  which  he  would  rule  in  all 
sovereignty.  But  his  ambition  was  now  greater.  In  the 
Landes  of  Gascony  he  would  be  like  the  conquering  king  of 
a  new  territory.  He  would  have  a  people  under  him.  He 
gave  Clorinde  all  kinds  of  particulars.  For  the  last  fortnight, 
without  saying  a  word  to  anyone,  he  had  been  reading  tech- 
nical treatises.  And  in  imagination  he  had  been  reclaiming 
marshes,  clearing  the  soil  of  stones  with  the  aid  of  powerful 
machines,  checking  the  advance  of  the  sandhills  by  planta- 
tions of  pines,  and  dowering  France  with  a  tract  of  wondrously 
fertile  country.  All  his  dormant  activity,  all  his  latent  gi;int's 
strength,  awoke  within  him  at  the  thought  of  this  nndertalang. 
He  clenched  his  fists  as  though  he  were  already  face  to  face 


138  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

with  rebellious  rocks.  In  imagination  he  turned  the  whole 
soil  over  at  a  single  stroke ;  carried  houses  completely  built 
on  his  shoulders,  and  dropped  them  as  bis  fancy  listed  on  the 
banks  of  some  river,  whose  bed  he  had  hollowed  out  by  a 
single  kick  of  his  foot.  It  all  seemed  so  easy,  and  it  would 
give  him  the  work  he  so  much  desired.  The  Emperor,  no 
doubt,  still  retained  sufficient  good-will  towards  him  to  let 
him  reclaim  those  waste  lands.  And  erect,  bracing  up  his 
big  form,  and  with  his  cheeks  aglow,  he  burst  into  a  proud 
laugh  :  '  It  is  a  magnificent  idea  !  '  he  cried.  '  I  shall  give 
my  name  to  the  town,  and  I,  too,  shall  found  a  little 
Empire ! ' 

Clorinde  imagined  that  it  was  all  a  mere  caprice,  a  whim 
born  of  the  boredom  in  which  he  was  struggling.  But  when 
they  subsequently  met,  Rougon  again  spoke  of  his  scheme 
with  even  greater  enthusiasm  tban  before.  Each  time  she 
came  to  see  him,  she  found  him  amidst  a  litter  of  maps 
strewn  over  the  desk,  the  chairs,  and  the  carpet  alike.  One 
afternoon  she  was  not  able  to  see  him,  as  he  was  conferring 
with  two  engineers.  Thereupon  she  began  to  feel  really 
alarmed.  Could  he  really  mean  to  give  ber  the  slip  like  that 
and  go  off  and  found  this  town  of  his  in  the  wilderness  ? 
Wasn't  it  rather  some  new  stratagem  he  was  arranging  ? 
However,  she  relinquished  her  endeavours  to  ascertain  the 
truth,  and  thought  it  best  to  give  the  alarm  to  the  whole 
band. 

There  was  great  consternation.  Du  Poizat  flew  into  a 
passion.  For  more  than  a  year  now  he  had  been  living  by 
shifts,  and  on  his  last  journey  to  La  Vendee  his  father  had 
hastily  taken  a  pistol  from  a  drawer  on  his  venturing  to  ask 
him  for  ten  thousand  francs  to  float  a  magnificent  specula- 
tion. So  now  the  ex-sub-prefect  was  half-starving  again 
just  as  in  1848.  M.  Kabn  showed  equal  anger.  His  blast- 
furnaces at  Bressuire  were  being  threatened  with  speedy  ruin, 
and  he  felt  that  he  would  be  lost  if  he  could  not  obtain  the 
railway  grant  within  the  next  six  months.  All  the  others, 
M.  Bejuin,  the  colonel,  the  Bouchards,  and  the  Charbonnels, 
were  similarly  upset.  Things  could  not  possibly  be  allowed 
to  end  like  that,  they  cried.  Really,  such  conduct  on  Rougon's 
part  was  not  reasonable.     They  must  talk  to  him  about  it. 

A  fortnight,  however,  went  by.  Clorinde,  whose  ideas 
were  a]Dproved  by  the  whole  band,  had  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  would  be  hazardous  to  make  an  open  attack  on  the 


IN  RETIREMENT  139 

great  man.  They  must  wait  for  a  fitting  opportunity.  This 
they  did,  and  one  Sunday  evening,  towards  the  middle  of 
October,  when  they  were  all  assembled  in  the  drawing-room 
in  the  Rue  Marbeuf,  Rougon  smilingly  remarked  to  them  : 
'  You'd  never  guess  what  I  received  to-day.' 

Then  he  took  a  pink  card  from  behind  the  timepiece  and 
showed  it  to  them.  '  An  invitation  to  Compiegne,  from  the 
Emperor,'  he  said. 

At  this  moment  his  valet  quietly  opened  the  door,  and 
told  him  that  the  gentleman  he  was  expecting  had  ai-rived. 
Rougon  excused  himself  and  left  the  room.  Clovinde  had 
risen  to  her  feet  and  stood  there  listening.  Then,  as  silence 
fell,  she  exclaimed,  energetically:  'He  must  go  to  Com- 
piegne ! ' 

The  friends  glanced  round  suspiciously  ;  but  they  were 
quite  alone.  Madame  Rougon  had  gone  off  some  minutes 
previously.  And  so  in  low  voices,  and  with  their  eyes  fixed 
on  the  doors,  they  began  to  speak  their  minds.  The  ladies 
were  gathered  in  a  circle  in  front  of  the  fire-place,  where  a 
huge  log  was  smouldering.  M.  Bouchard  and  the  colonel 
were  busy  with  their  everlasting  piquet,  while  the  other  men 
had  wheeled  their  chairs  into  a  corner  to  isolate  themselves. 
Clorinde  alone  remained  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
her  head  bent  as  if  deep  in  thought. 

'  He  was  expecting  somebody,  then  ?  '  began  Du  Poizat. 
'  Who  can  it  be,  I  wonder  ?  ' 

The  others  shrugged  their  shoulders,  as  if  to  say  that  they 
did  not  know. 

'  Something  to  do  with  this  idiotic  scheme  of  his,  perhaps,' 
continued  the  ex-sub-prefect.  '  One  of  these  evenings,  you'll 
see,  I  shall  tell  him  plainly  what  I  think  of  him.' 

'  Hush  !  '  exclaimed  M.  Kahn,  raising  his  finger  to  his 
lips. 

Du  Poizat  had  raised  his  voice  in  an  alarming  way.  For 
a  moment  they  all  strained  their  ears  to  listen.  Then  M. 
Kahn  himself  said  in  a  very  low  tone  :  '  There  is  no  doubt  but 
what  he  has  pledged  himself  to  us.' 

'  Say,  rather,  that  he  has  contracted  a  debt,'  interposed  the 
colonel,  la\  ing  down  his  cards. 

'  Yes,  yes ;  a  debt  ;  that  is  the  word,'  declared  M. 
Bouchard.  '  We  didn't  mince  matters  that  last  day  at  the 
Council  of  State.' 

All   the   others    nodded   assent.     There   was    a    general 


140  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

lamentation.  Eougon  had  ruined  them.  M.  Bouchard  added, 
that  if  it  had  not  been  for  his  fideHty,  he  would  have  got 
his  promotion  long  ago  ;  and,  to  hear  the  colonel  talk,  anyone 
would  have  imagined  that  he  had  been  offered  a  commander's 
cross,  and  a  post  for  his  son  Auguste,  on  the  part  of  M. 
de  Marsy,  and  that  he  had  simply  refused  them  out  of 
friendship  forRougon,  M.  d'Escorailles'  parents,  said  pretty 
Madame  Bouchard,  were  much  disappointed  at  seeing  their 
son  remain  a  mere  auditor  when  for  the  last  six  months  they 
had  been  expecting  his  promotion  to  higher  rank.  Even 
those  who  said  nothing,  Delestang,  M.  Bejuin,  Madame 
Correur,  and  the  Charbonnels,  bit  their  hps  and  raised  their 
eyes  to  heaven  with  the  expression  of  martyrs  whose  patience 
was  at  last  beginning  to  fail  them. 

'  Well,  the  long  and  the  short  of  it  is  that  we  are  being 
defrauded,'  cried  Du  Poizat.  '  But  he  shall  not  go  away ;  I 
answer  for  that !  Is  there  any  sense  in  a  man  setting  ofl'  and 
struggling  with  stones  when  there  are  such  serious  interests 
to  keep  him  in  Paris  ?  Are  you  willing  that  I  should  speak 
to  him  ? ' 

Clorinde  now  awoke  from  her  reverie.  She  waved  her 
hand  to  obtain  silence ;  and  after  opening  the  door  to  see 
that  there  was  no  one  outside,  she  repeated  :  '  I  tell  you  that 
he  must  go  to  Compiegne  !  ' 

Then,  as  every  face  turned  towards  her,  she  checked  all 
questions  with  another  wave  of  her  hand  :  '  Hush !  not 
here !  ' 

She  told  them,  however,  that  she  and  her  husband  had 
also  been  invited  to  Compiegne,  and  she  made  some  mention 
of  M.  de  Marsy  and  ]\Iadame  de  Llorent/  without  consenting 
to  enter  into  further  details.  However,  they  would  push  the 
great  man  into  power  in  spite  of  himself,  she  said  ;  they  would 
compromise  him,  if  he  drove  them  to  it.  M.  Beulin-d'Orchere 
and  the  whole  judicial  bench  secretly  supported  him  ;  and 
M.  La  Rouquette  had  confessed  that  the  Emperor,  amidst  all 
the  hatred  expressed  against  Rougon  by  those  who  surrounded 
him,  had  kept  absolute  silence  on  the  matter.  Whenever  the 
great  man's  name  was  mentioned  in  his  presence,  he  became 
serious  and  lowered  his  eyes. 

'  It  is  not  we  alone  who  are  concerned,'  M.  Kahn  now 
declared.     '  If  we   succeed,  the    whole  country  will  owe  us 

thanks.' 

Then,   raising  their   voices,   they  all  began  to  sing  the 


IN  RETIREMENT  141 

praises  of  the  master  of  the  bouse.  A  buzz  of  conversation 
in  an  adjoining  room  bad  just  become  audible.  Du  Poizat 
was  so  carried  away  by  curiosity,  that  be  pushed  the  door 
open  as  though  be  were  going  out,  and  then  closed  it  again 
with  sufficient  deliberation  to  take  a  look  at  the  man  who  was 
speaking  with  Eougon.  It  was  Gilquin,  wearing  a  heavy 
overcoat  in  good  condition,  and  holding  in  bis  band  a  stout 
cane  with  a  laiob  of  yellow  metal.  He  was  saying  in  bis  full 
voice,  with  exaggerated  familiarity  :  '  Don't  send  any  more, 
you  understand,  to  the  Eue  Virginie  at  Grenelle.  I'm  at 
Batignolles  now.  Passage  Guttin.  Well,  you  can  reckon  upon 
me.     Good-bye  for  the  present.' 

Then  he  shook  hands  with  Eougon. 

When  the  latter  returned  to  the  drawing-room  be  apolo- 
gised for  his  absence,  but  gave  Du  Poizat  a  keen  glance  :  '  A 
good  fellow,  whom  you  know,  Du  Poizat,  don't  you  ?  '  said 
be.  '  He  is  going  to  enlist  some  colonists  for  my  new  world 
in  the  Landes.  By  the  way,  I  mean  to  take  you  all  with  me  ; 
so  you  had  better  get  your  things  together.  Kahn  shall  be 
my  Prime  Minister.  Delestang  and  his  wife  shall  have  the 
portfolio  of  Foreign  Affairs.  Bejuin  shall  be  Postmaster. 
And  I  won't  forget  the  ladies.  Madame  Bouchard  shall  be 
Queen  of  Beauty,  and  I'll  give  the  keys  of  our  store-rooms  to 
Madame  Cbarbonnel.' 

In  this  wise  he  playfully  rattled  on,  while  bis  friends,  very 
ill  at  ease,  were  wondering  if  be  bad  perchance  heard  them 
through  some  chink  or  other.  When  he  proceeded  to  say 
that  be  would  decorate  the  colonel  with  all  the  orders  in  bis 
gift,  the  latter  almost  lost  bis  temper.  Clorinde,  however, 
was  looking  at  the  invitation  to  Compiegne  which  she  bad 
taken  from  oft'  the  mantel-piece. 

'  Do  you  mean  to  go  ?  '  she  asked,  with  an  appearance  of 
unconcern. 

'  Oh,  no  doubt,'  repbed  Eougon,  surprised  at  the  question. 
'  I  mean  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  get  the 
Emperor  to  give  me  my  department.' 

Just  then  ten  o'clock  struck,  and  Madame  Eougon  returned 
to  the  room  and  served  tea. 


142  HIS  EXCELLENCY 


VII 

AT   COURT 

Towards   seven   o'clock   on  the   evening  of  her   arrival  at 

Compiegne,  Clorinde  was  engaged  in  conversation  with  M.  de 
Plouguern  near  one  of  the  windows  in  the  Gallery  of  the 
Maps.  They  were  waiting  for  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
before  entering  the  dining-room.  The  second  batch  of  the 
season's  guests  had  scarcely  been  more  than  three  hours  at 
the  chateau,  and  all  of  them  had  not  yet  come  down  from 
their  rooms.  Clorinde  occupied  herself  by  briefly  criticising 
them  as  they  entered  the  gallery,  one  by  one.  The  ladies,  in 
low  dresses,  and  wearing  flowers  in  their  hair,  put  on  smiles 
as  soon  as  they  reached  the  threshold  ;  while  the  gentlemen, 
wearing  white  cravats,  black  knee-breeches,  and  silk  stockings, 
preserved  a  solemn  air. 

'  Ah  ;  here  comes  the  Chevalier  ! '  muttered  Clorinde. 
'  He  looks  very  nice,  doesn't  he  ?  But  just  look  at  M.  Beulin- 
d'Orchere,  godfather  !  Doesn't  he  look  as  though  he  were 
going  to  bark  ?     And,  good  heavens,  what  legs  !  ' 

M.  de  Plouguern  began  to  grin,  much  amused  by  this 
backbiting.  Chevalier  Rusconi  came  up  and  bowed  to 
Clorinde,  with  the  languid  gallantry  of  a  handsome  Italian  ; 
then  he  made  the  round  of  the  ladies,  swaying  to  and  fro  with 
a  series  of  gentle  rhythmical  reverences.  A  few  yards  away, 
Delestang,  looking  very  serious,  was  examining  the  huge  maps 
of  the  Forest  of  Compiegne,  which  covered  the  walls  of  the 
gallery. 

'  Whereabouts  in  the  train  were  you  ?  '  Clorinde  continued. 
•  I  looked  out  for  you  at  the  station,  so  that  we  might  travel 
together.  Just  fancy,  I  was  squeezed  up  with  a  whole  crowd 
of  men.'  Then  she  stopped,  and  stifled  a  laugh  with  her 
fingers.  '  How  demure  Monsieur  La  Eouquette  looks  1 '  said 
she. 

'  Yes,  indeed  ;  he's  like  a  simpering  schoolgirl,'  rejoined 
the  senator  sarcastically. 

Just  at  that  moment  a  loud  rustling  was  heard  by  the 
door,  which  was  thrown  wide  open  to  admit  a  lady  wearing  a 
dress  which  was  so  lavishly  adorned  with  bows  and  flowers 
and  lace,  that  she  had  to  press  it  down  with  both  hands  in 


AT  COURT  143 

order  to  get  through.  It  was  Madame  de  Combelot,  Clorinde's 
sister-in-law.  The  latter  stared  at  her,  and  murmured : 
*  Good  gracious  !  ' 

Then,  as  M.  de  Plouguern  glanced  at  her  own  dress  of 
simple  tarlatan,  worn  over  an  ill-cut  under-skirt  of  rose-silk, 
she  continued,  with  an  air  of  complete  unconcern  :  '  Ah  !  I 
don't  care  about  dress,  godfather  !  People  must  take  me,  you 
know,  as  I  am.' 

Delestang,  however,  had  quitted  the  maps,  and  after  join- 
ing his  sister,  led  her  to  his  wife.  The  two  women  were  not 
particularly  fond  of  each  other,  and  exchanged  rather  stiff 
greetings.  Then  ]\Iadame  de  Combelot  walked  off,  dragging 
her  satin  train,  which  looked  like  a  strip  of  flower  garden, 
through  the  clusters  of  silent  men,  who  stopped  back  out  of 
the  way  of  this  flood  of  lace  flounces.  Clorinde,  as  soon  as 
she  was  alone  again  with  M.  de  Plouguern,  referred  playfully 
to  the  lady's  great  passion  for  the  Emperor.  And  when  the 
old  senator  had  told  her  that  there  was  no  reciprocal  feeling 
on  the  Emperor's  part,  she  continued  :  '  Well,  there's  no  great 
merit  in  that ;  she's  so  dreadfully  lean.  I  have  been  told 
that  some  men  consider  her  good-looking,  but  I  don't  know 
why.     She  has  absolutely  no  figure  at  all.' 

While  talking  in  this  strain,  Clorinde  none  the  less  kept 
her  eyes  upon  the  door.  '  Ah  !  this  time  it  must  surely  be 
Monsieur  Eougon,'  she  said  as  it  opened  again.  But,  almost 
immediately,  she  resumed  with  a  flash  in  her  eyes  :  '  Ah,  no  ! 
it  is  Monsieur  de  Marsy.' 

The  minister,  looking  quite  irreproachable  in  his  black 
dress-coat  and  knee-breeches,  stepped  up  to  Madame  de 
Combelot  with  a  smile,  and  while  he  was  paying  compliments 
to  her,  he  glanced  round  at  the  assembled  guests,  blinking 
his  eyes  as  though  he  recognised  no  one.  But,  as  they  began 
to  bow  to  him,  he  inclined  his  head  with  an  expression  of 
great  amiability.  Several  men  approached  him,  and  he  soon 
became  the  centre  of  a  group.  His  pale  face,  with  its  subtle 
cunning  air,  towered  over  the  shoulders  clustering  round 
him. 

'  By  the  way,'  said  Clorinde,  pushing  M.  de  Plouguern  into 
a  window-recess,  '  I  have  been  relying  upon  you  for  some 
information.  What  do  you  know  about  Madame  de  Llorentz's 
famous  letters  ? ' 

'  Only  what  all  the  world  knows,'  replied  the  old  senator. 

Then  he  began  to  speak  of  the  famous  three  letters  which 


144  ^^S  EXCELLENCY 

had  been  written,  it  was  said,  by  Count  de  Marsy  to  Madame 
de  Llorentz  nearly  five  years  previously,  a  short  time  before 
the  Emperor's  marriage.  Madame  de  Llorentz,  who  had  just 
lost  her  husband,  a  general  of  Spanish  origin,  was  then  at 
Madrid,  looking  after  her  deceased  husband's  affairs.  It  was 
the  heyday  of  her  connection  with  Marsy,  who,  to  amuse  her, 
and  yielding  to  his  own  sportive  proclivities,  had  sent  her  • 
some  very  piquant  details  concerning  certain  august  person- 
ages with  whom  he  was  living  on  intimate  terms.  And  it  was 
asserted  that  Madame  de  Llorentz,  who  was  an  extremely 
jealous  beauty,  had  carefully  preserved  these  letters,  and  kept 
them  hanging  over  M.  de  Marsy's  head  as  an  ever-ready 
means  of  vengeance,  should  he  presume  to  wander  in  his 
affections. 

'  She  allowed  herself  to  be  talked  over,'  continued  M.  de 
Plouguern,  '  when  Marsy  had  to  marry  the  Wallachian 
princess  ;  but,  after  consenting  to  their  spending  a 
month's  honeymoon  together,  she  gave  him  to  understand  that 
if  he  did  not  return  to  her  feet,  she  would  some  day  lay  the 
three  terrible  letters  on  the  Emperor's  desk.  So  he  has 
taken  up  his  fetters  again,  and  lavishes  the  most  loving 
attention  upon  her  in  the  hope  that  he  may  get  her  to  give 
these  letters  up.' 

Clorinde  laughed  heartily  ;  the  story  amused  her,  and  she 
began  to  ask  all  sorts  of  questions.  If  the  Count  should 
deceive  Madame  de  Llorentz,  would  she  really  carry  her  threat 
into  execution  ?  Where  did  she  keep  those  letters  ?  Was  it 
really  in  the  bosom  of  her  dress,  stitched  between  two  pieces 
of  satin  ribbon,  as  some  people  said  ?  M.  de  Plouguern, 
however,  could  give  no  further  information.  No  one  but 
Madame  de  Llorentz  herself  had  ever  read  the  letters  ;  but  he 
knew  a  young  man  who  had  vainly  made  himself  her  humble 
slave  for  nearly  six  months  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  get  a 
copy  of  them. 

'  But  look  at  Marsy,'  he  continued,  '  he  never  takes  his 
eyes  off  you.  Ah  !  I  had  forgotten  ;  you  have  made  a  conquest 
of  him.  Is  it  true  that,  at  the  last  soiree  at  the  ministry,  he 
remained  talking  to  you  for  nearly  an  hour  ?  ' 

The  young  woman  made  no  reply.  Indeed  she  was  not 
listening,  but  stood  majestic  and  motionless  under  M.  de 
Marsy's  steady  gaze.  Then  slowly  raising  her  head  and 
looking  at  him  in  her  turn,  she  waited  for  him  to  bow  to  her. 
He  thereupon   stepped  up,  and  she  smiled  upon  him  very 


AT  COURT  145 

sweetly.  They  did  not,  however,  exchange  a  word.  The  Count 
went  back  to  the  group  he  had  left,  m  which  M.  La  Eouquette 
now  was  talking  very  loudly,  perpetually  speaking  of  him  as 
*His  Excellency.' 

The  gallery  had  gradually  filled,  There  were  nearly  a 
hundred  pei'sons  present :  high  functionaries,  generals,  foreign 
diplomatists,  five  deputies,  three  prefects,  two  painters,  a 
novelist,  and  a  couple  of  academicians,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
court  officials,  the  chamberlains,  and  the  aides-de-camp  and 
equerries.  A  subdued  murmur  of  voices  arose  amid  the  glare 
of  the  chandeliers.  Those  who  were  familiar  with  the  chateau 
paced  slowly  up  and  down,  while  those  who  had  been  asked 
there  for  the  first  time  remained  where  they  stood,  too  timid 
to  venture  among  the  ladies.  The  want  of  ease  which  for 
the  first  hour  or  so  prevailed  among  these  guests,  many  of 
whom  were  unacquainted  with  one  another,  but  who  found 
themselves  suddenly  assembled  in  the  ante-chamber  of  the 
Imperial  dining-room,  gave  to  their  faces  an  expression  of 
sullen  reserve.  Every  now  and  then  there  were  sudden 
intervals  of  silence,  and  heads  turned  anxiously  round.  The 
very  furniture  of  the  spacious  apartment,  the  pier  tables  with 
straight  legs,  and  the  square  chairs,  all  in  the  stiff  First  Empire 
style,  seemed  to  impart  additional  solemnity  to  this  spell  of 
waiting. 

'  Here  he  comes  at  last !  '  murmured  Clorinde. 

Rougon  had  just  entered  and  stood  still  for  a  moment, 
blinking.  He  had  donned  his  expression  of  good  natured 
simplicity  ;  his  back  was  slightly  bent,  and  his  face  had  a 
sleepy  look.  He  noticed  at  a  glance  the  faint  tremor  of 
hostility  which  thrilled  some  of  the  guests  at  his  appearance. 
However,  in  quiet  fashion,  shaking  hands  here  and  there,  he 
steered  his  way  so  as  to  come  face  to  face  with  M.  de  Marsy. 
They  bowed  to  one  another,  and  seemed  delighted  to  meet ; 
and  they  began  to  talk  in  very  friendly  fashion,  though  they 
kept  their  eyes  on  each  other  like  foes  who  respected  each 
other's  strength.  An  empty  space  had  been  cleared  around 
them.  The  ladies  watched  their  slightest  gestures  with 
interest ;  while  the  men,  affecting  great  discretion,  pretended 
to  look  in  another  direction,  though  every  now  and  then  they 
cast  furtive  glances  at  them.  Much  whispering  went  on  in 
different  corners  of  the  room.  What  secret  plan  had  the 
Emperor  got  in  his  head  ?  Why  had  he  brought  those  two 
men  together  ?     M.  La  Eouquette  felt  sorely  perplexed,  but 

It 


146  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

fancied  lie  could  scent  some  very  grave  business.  So  he  went 
up  to  M.  de  Plouguern,  and  began  to  question  him.  But  the 
old  senator  gave  rein  to  his  jocosity.  '  Oh,'  said  he,  '  perhaps 
Rougou  is  going  to  upset  Marsy,  so  it  is  as  well  to  treat  him 
deferentially.  On  the  other  hand,  perhaps  the  Emperor 
merely  wanted  to  see  them  together,  in  the  hope  that  some- 
thing amusing  might  happen.' 

However,  the  whispering  ceased,  and  there  was  a  general 
stir.  Two  officers  of  the  household  went  from  group  to  group 
saying  something  in  low  tones.  Then  tbe  guests,  who  had 
suddenly  become  serious  again,  made  their  way  towards  the 
door  on  the  left,  where  they  formed  themselves  into  a  double 
line,  the  men  on  one  side  and  the  ladies  on  the  other.  M.  de 
]\Iarsy  posted  himself  near  the  door,  keeping  Rougon  by  his 
side. ;  and  the  rest  of  the  company  ranged  themselves  in  the 
order  of  their  rank.  Then,  keeping  perfect  silence,  they  con- 
tinued waiting  for  another  three  minutes. 

At  last  the  folding-doors  were  thrown  wide  open.  The 
Emperor,  in  full  dress,  and  wearing  the  red  ribbon  of  the 
Legion  of  Honour  across  his  chest,  came  into  the  room  first, 
followed  by  the  chamberlain  on  duty,  M.  de  Combelot.  He 
smiled  slightly  as  he  stopped  before  M.  de  Marsy  and  Rougon, 
swaying  slightly,  and  slowly  twisting  his  long  moustache,  as, 
in  an  embarrassed  tone,  he  said  :  '  You  must  tell  Madame 
Rougon  how  extremely  sorry  we  were  to  hear  that  she  was  ill. 
We  should  have  much  liked  to  see  her  here  with  you.  We  must 
hope  that  she  will  very  soon  be  well  again.  There  are  a  great 
many  colds  about  just  now.' 

Then  he  passed  on.  After  taking  a  few  steps,  however,  he 
stopped  to  shake  hands  with  a  general,  asking  him  after  his 
son,  whom  he  called  '  my  little  friend  Gaston.'  Gaston  was 
of  the  same  age  as  the  Prince  Imperial,  but  was  already  much 
more  vigorous.  The  guests  bowed  as  the  Emperor  passed 
them.  When  he  had  got  to  the  end  of  the  line,  M.  de 
Combelot  presented  to  him  one  of  the  two  academicians,  who 
had  come  to  Court  for  the  first  time.  The  Emperor  spoke  of 
a  recent  work  which  this  writer  had  issued,  and  declared  that 
certain  passages  of  it  had  aftbrded  him  the  greatest  pleasure. 

By  this  time  the  Empress  Eugenie  had  also  entered  the 
room,  attended  by  Madame  de  Llorentz.  She  was  dressed 
very  simply  in  a  blue  silk  gown  with  a  tunic  of  white  lace, 
and  she  advanced  with  slow  steps,  smiling  towards  the 
ladies   and   graciously   inclining  her  bare  neck,  from  which 


AT  COURT  147 

a  diamond  heart  was  suspended  by  a  ribbon  of  blue  velvet. 
The  ladies  curtsied  to  her  with  much  rustling  and  spreading 
of  their  skirts,  from  which  rose  strong  perfumes.  Madame  de 
Llorentz  presented  a  young  woman,  who  seemed  deeply 
moved ;  whereas  Madame  de  Combelot  put  on  an  air  of 
affectionate  familiarity. 

When  the  sovereigns  had  reached  the  end  of  the  double 
line,  they  retraced  their  steps ;  the  Emperor  now  turning 
towards  the  ladies,  and  the  Empress  towards  the  men.  There 
were  some  more  presentations.  No  one  spoke  ;  respectful 
embarrassment  kept  all  the  guests  face  to  face  in  silence. 
However,  when  the  adjutant-general  of  the  palace  entered  to 
announce  that  dinner  was  served,  the  lines  broke  up,  remarks 
were  exchanged  sotto  voce,  and  there  came  little  bursts  of 
cheery  laughter. 

'  Ah  !  you  don't  want  me  any  longer  now  !  '  said  M.  de 
Plouguern  in  Clorinde's  ear. 

She  smiled  at  him.  She  had  kept  in  front  of  M.  de  Marsy 
in  order  to  compel  him  to  offer  her  his  arm,  which  he  did 
with  a  gallant  air.  There  was  some  little  confusion.  The 
Emperor  and  Empress  went  out  first,  followed  by  the  guests 
who  were  to  sit  on  their  right  and  left.  That  day  two  foreign 
diplomatists,  a  young  American  lady,  and  a  minister's  wife 
had  been  selected  for  this  honour.  After  these  came  the 
other  guests  in  such  order  as  they  chose,  each  gentleman 
giving  his  arm  to  the  lady  he  had  been  pleased  to  select. 
And  thus  the  procession  got  slowly  under  way. 

The  entry  into  the  dining-hall  was  very  pompous.  Five 
cut-glass  chandeliers  sparkled  above  the  long  table,  illumining 
the  silver  centre-pieces,  which  represented  such  huntmg  scenes 
as  the  starting  of  the  stag,  the  horns  sounding  the  view- 
halloa,  and  the  hounds  seizing  the  quarry.  Silver  plates  were 
disposed  round  the  edge  of  the  cloth  like  a  border  of  glittering 
moons ;  and  the  silver  warmers  reflecting  the  blaze  of  the 
candles,  the  glass  with  its  quivering  coruscations,  the  fruit 
stands,  and  the  bright  pink  flower  vases,  gave  quite  a  splendour 
to  the  Imperial  table,  a  sheeny  brilliance  w'hich  filled  the 
whole  huge  room. 

The  procession  slowly  crossed  the  Hall  of  the  Guards 
before  entering  the  dining-room,  whose  folding  doors  stood 
wide  open.  The  men  bent  down  and  said  a  word  or  two,  and 
then  drew  erect  again,  feeling  secretly  vain  of  this  triumphal 
march,  while  the  ladies  beamed  radiantly,  their  bare  shoulders 

4.2 


1 48  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

steeped  in  the  brilliant  light.  Their  long  trains,  sweeping  the 
carpets  at  regular  intervals  between  each  successive  couple, 
lent  additional  majesty  to  the  procession,  the  rustling  of  all 
the  rich  tissues  sounding  like  a  soft  accompaniment.  As  the 
threshold  of  the  dining-room  was  reached,  and  the  superb 
array  of  the  table  came  into  sight,  a  military  band,  hidden 
from  view  in  an  adjoining  gallery,  greeted  the  company  with 
a  flourish,  like-a  signal  for  some  fairy  gala,  and,  at  the  sound 
of  it,  the  gentlemen,  who  felt  somewhat  ill  at  ease  in  their 
short  breeches,  involuntarily  pressed  their  partners'  arms. 

However,  the  Empress  passed  down  the  room  on  the 
right,  and  remained  standing  by  the  centre  of  the  table,  while 
the  Emperor,  going  to  the  left,  took  up  position  opposite  to 
her.  Then,  when  the  selected  guests  had  taken  their  places 
at  the  right  and  left  of  their  Majesties,  the  others  glanced 
round  for  a  moment,  and  chose  what  places  they  liked.  On 
that  particular  evening  covers  were  laid  for  eighty-seven. 
Some  three  minutes  elapsed  before  everyone  had  entered 
the  room  and  chosen  seats.  The  satiny  sheen  of  the 
ladies'  shoulders,  the  bright  flowers  in  their  dresses,  and  the 
diamonds  sparkling  in  their  piled-up  hair,  lent  as  it  were 
living  mirth  to  the  fnll  light  of  the  crystal  chandeliers.  At 
last  the  footmen  took  the  Court  hats,  which  the  gentlemen 
had  hitherto  carried  in  their  hands  ;  and  then  everyone  sat 
down. 

M.  de  Plonguern  had  followed  Eougon.  After  the  soup 
had  been  served,  he  nudged  him  and  inquired — '  Have  you 
commissioned  Clorinde  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation  between 
you  and  Marsy  ?  ' 

Then,  with  a  glance,  he  pointed  out  the  young  woman,  who 
sat  on  the  other  side  of  the  table  beside  the  Count,  to  whom 
she  was  talking  with  an  air  of  tender  interest.  Eougon 
seemed  much  annoyed,  but  he  merely  shrugged  his  shoulders, 
and  pretended  to  look  in  another  direction.  In  spite,  how- 
ever, of  his  attempt  at  indift'erence,  his  eyes  strayed  back 
to  Clorinde,  and  he  began  to  observe  her  shghtest  gestures, 
and  even  the  movements  of  her  lips,  as  though  he  were 
anxious  to  discover  what  she  was  saying. 

Just  then,  however,  he  was  spoken  to. 

*  Monsieur  Rougon,'  said  Madame  de  Combelot,  who  had 
got  as  near  to  the  Emperor  as  she  could,  '  do  you  recollect  that 
accident  when  you  got  a  cab  for  me  ?  One  of  the  flounces  of 
my  dress  was  completely  torn  away.' 


AT  COURT      .  149 

She  was  trying  to  make  herself  interesting  by  relating  how 
her  carriage  had  been  nearly  cut  in  halves  by  the  landau  of  a 
Russian  prince.  Then  Rougon  was  obliged  to  reply  ;  and  for 
a  short  time  the  incident  became  the  subject  of  conversation 
among  those  placed  near  the  middle  of  the  table.  All  kinds 
of  accidents  were  quoted,  and,  among  others,  one  AA'hich  had 
happened  to  a  woman,  a  well-known  dealer  in  perfumery,  who 
had  fallen  from  her  horse  during  the  previous  week,  and  had 
broken  her  arm.  The  Empress  on  hearing  this  raised  a  slight 
exclamation  of  pity.  The  Emperor  said  nothing  but  listened 
with  a  profound  expression,  wliile  eating  very  slowly. 

*  Where's  Delestang  got  to?  '  Rougon  now  asked  of  M.  de 
Plouguern. 

They  looked  about,  and  the  senator  at  last  caught  sight  of 
him  at  the  end  of  the  table.  Seated  next  to  M.  de  Combelot, 
among  a  row  of  men,  he  was  listening  to  the  broad  conversa- 
tion which  was  there  being  carried  on  under  cover  of  the 
general  talk.  M.  La  Rouquette  had  been  relating  a  somewhat 
free  story  about  a  laundress  of  his  native  place,  and  now 
Chevalier  Rusconi  was  favouring  the  others  with  some  per- 
sonal criticisms  of  the  women  of  Paris  ;  while  one  of  the  two 
artists  and  the  novelist,  a  little  lower  down  the  table,  bluntly 
passed  judgment  on  the  ladies  whose  lean  or  over-fleshy  arms 
excited  their  mockery.  And  Rougon  angrily  transferred  his 
gaze  from  Clorinde,  who  was  growing  more  and  more  amiable 
in  her  manner  towards  the  Count,  to  her  imbecile  of  a 
husband,  who  sat  smiling,  in  a  dignified  way,  at  the  rather 
strong  anecdotes  with  which  his  ears  were  being  regaled. 

'  Why  didn't  he  come  and  sit  with  us  ?  '  muttered  the 
great  man. 

'  Oh  !  I  don't  pity  him.  They  seem  to  be  amusing  them- 
selves down  there,'  said  M.  de  Plouguern.  And  he  continued 
in  a  whisper  :  '  I  fancy  they  are  making  merry  at  Madame  de 
Llorentz's  expense.  Have  you  noticed  how  indecently  she's 
dressed  ?     Just  look  at  her  bodice,  how  low  it  is.' 

However,  as  he  turned  to  get  a  better  view  of  Madame  de 
Llorentz,  who  was  on  the  same  side  of  the  table  as  himself, 
some  five  seats  away,  his  face  suddenly  became  very  grave. 
The  lady's  countenance — she  was  a  beautiful,  plump  blonde 
— had  assumed  a  furious  expression  ;  she  was  white  with 
suppressed  rnge,  and  her  blue  eyes  seemed  to  be  turning  black 
as  they  glowered  fiercely  on  M.  de  Marsy  and  Clorinde. 

'  There's  going  to  be  a  row,'  muttered  the  old  senator 


150  JIIS  EXCELLENCY 

between  his  teeth,  in  such  wise  that  even  Eougon  could  not 
tell  what  he  was  saying. 

The  band  was  still  playing  ;  the  hidden,  distant  music 
sounding  as  though  it  proceeded  from  the  ceiling.  Every 
now  and  then,  at  some  sudden  blare  of  the  brass  instruments, 
the  guests  raised  their  heads,  as  though  seeking  to  identify 
the  strain  which  was  being  played ;  but  the  next  moment 
they  could  hear  nothing  distinctly  for  the  light  notes  of  the 
clarionets  mingled  with  the  jingling  of  the  silver  plate, 
which  the  servants  carried  about  in  piles.  The  big  dishes 
gave  out  a  clanking  sound,  like  so  many  cymbals.  All 
round  the  table  there  was  much  silent  hurrying  to  and 
fro.  A  whole  army  of  servants  fatted  hither  and  thither 
without  speaking  a  word  ;  ushers  in  swallow-tails  and 
bright  blue  breeches,  with  swords  at  their  sides  and  cocked 
hats  under  their  arms  ;  and  footmen  with  powdered  hair,  in 
full-dress  livery  of  green  cloth,  laced  with  gold.  The  dishes 
were  brought  in  and  the  wines  circulated  in  proper  order, 
while  the  heads  of  the  different  household  services,  the  con- 
trollers, the  chief  carver,  and  the  chief  custodian  of  the  plate, 
stood  round,  and  superintended  all  the  intricate  manoeuvring 
which  marked  the  seeming  confusion,  in  which  the  roles  of 
the  most  insignificant  footmen  had  been  carefully  arranged 
beforehand.  And  behind  the  Emperor  and  Empress  were 
their  Majesties'  own  private  valets,  who  waited  upon  them 
with  an  air  of  decorous  dignity. 

When  the  roasts  arrived  and  the  great  wines  of  Burgundy 
were  poured  into  the  guests'  glasses,  the  chatter  of  voices 
grew  louder.  Among  the  men  at  the  end  of  the  table, 
M.  La  Rouquette  was  now  discoursing  upon  culinary  matters, 
notably  with  regard  to  the  amount  of  cooking  which  the 
haunch  of  venison  then  being  served  had  received.  The 
previous  dishes  had  comprised  Crecy  soup,  salmon  au  bleu, 
fillet  of  beef  with  shallot  sauce,  pullets  a  la  financier e,  part- 
ridges with  cabbage,  and  oyster  patties. 

*  I'll  bet  that  we  shall  have  stewed  cardoons  and  vegetable- 
marrow  with  melted  butter,'  said  the  young  deputy. 

'I  have  seen  some  crayfish,'  remarked  Delestang  politely. 

However,  as  the  cardoons  and  vegetable-marrow  were 
just  then  served,  M.  La  Rouquette  was  loud  in  his  expres- 
sions of  triumph.  He  knew  the  Empress's  tastes,  he  declared. 
But  the  novelist  glanced  at  the  artist,  and  said,  with  a  cluck 
of  the  tongue  :  '  The  cooking's  rather  poor.' 


'       AT  COURT  151 

The  artist  pouted  his  assent.  Then,  when  he  had  taken  a 
sip  from  his  ,qlass,  he  said  :  '  The  wines  are  exquisite.' 

Just  at  that  moment,  however,  a  sudden  laugh  from  the 
Empress  rang  so  loudly  through  the  room  that  everyone 
became  silent,  and  craned  forward  to  discover  what  had  given 
rise  to  it.  The  Empress  was  talking  to  the  Prussian  Ambas- 
sador, who  sat  on  her  right.  She  was  still  laughing  and 
uttering  broken  words  which  the  guests  could  not  catch. 
But  amidst  the  silence  caused  by  tlie  general  curiosity,  a 
cornet-a-piston,  softly  accompanied  by  some  bassoons,  began 
to  play  a  pretty,  sentimental  air.  Then  the  general  murmur 
of  conversation  arose  once  more.  Chairs  were  turned  half- 
round  and  elbows  vested  on  the  table  as  sections  of  the  guests 
began  to  chat  together,  as  if  they  were  at  some  luxurious  table- 
d'hote. 

'  Will  you  have  a  rout  cake  ?  '  asked  M.  de  Plouguern. 

Eougon  shook  his  head  in  refusal.  For  a  moment  he  had 
been  eating  nothing.  The  servants  had  replaced  the  silver 
plate  by  Sevres  porcelain,  beautifully  decorated  in  blue  and 
pink.  Then  the'whole  dessert  went  in  procession  past  Rougon, 
but  he  would  only  accept  a  small  piece  of  Camembert.  He 
had  ceased  to  exercise  any  restraint  over  himself,  and  gazed 
openly  at  M.  de  Marsy  and  Clorinde,  in  the  hope,  probably,  of 
being  able  to  intimidate  the  young  woman.  But  she  affected 
such  familiarity  with  Marsy  that  she  seemed  to  have  forgotten 
where  she  was,  and  to  fancy  herself  in  some  private  room 
where  a  light  supper  had  been  served  for  two.  Her  beautiful 
face  sparkled  with  tenderness  ;  and  as  she  munched  the 
sweetmeats  which  the  Count  handed  to  her,  she  tranquilly 
prosecuted  her  conquest  with  never-failing  smile  and  superb 
assurance.     The  people  near  them  had  begun  to  whisper. 

However,  the  general  conversation  turned  upon  the  subject 
of  fashion,  and  M.  de  Plouguern  mischievously  asked  Clorinde 
about  the  new  shape  of  bonnets.  Then,  as  she  pretended  not 
to  hear  him,  he  turned  round  in  order  to  address  the  same 
question  to  Madame  de  Lloren^.  But  when  he  saw  her 
angry,  threatening  face,  Avith  its  clenched  teeth  and  tragic 
expression  of  furious  jealousy,  he  did  not  dare  to  carry  out  his 
intention.  Clorinde,  as  it  happened,  had  just  surrendered  her 
hand  to  M.  de  Marsy  on  the  pretext  of  letting  him  look  at  an 
antique  cameo  which  she  wore  on  a  finger-ring.  And  she  let 
the  Count  hold  her  hand  while  he  took  off  the  ring  and  then 
put  it  back  again.    This  seemed  to  be  going  too  far.    Madame 


152  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

de  Llorentz,  who  was  nervously  playing  with  a  spoon,  upset  a 
wine-glass  and  broke  it.  One  of  the  servants  immediately 
removed  the  fragments. 

'  They  will  be  tearing  each  other's  hair  by-and-bye,'  the 
senator  whispered  to  Rongon.  '  Have  you  watched  them  ? 
But,  the  deuce  take  me  if  I  can  understand  Clorinde's  game ! 
What's  she  up  to,  eh  ?  ' 

Then,  as  he  raised  his  eyes  to  his  neighbour,  he  was  quite 
taken  aback  by  the  strange  change  which  he  noticed  in 
Rougon's  face.  '  What's  the  matter  with  you  ?  Aren't  you 
well  ?  '  he  asked. 

'  Oh,  yes,'  Rougon  replied,  '  but  it's  so  close  here  ;  these 
dinners  last  so  long.  And  then  there's  such  a  strong  scent  of 
musk.' 

The  dinner,  however,  was  now  at  an  end,  though  a  few 
ladies  were  still  nibbling  biscuits  as  they  leant  back  in  their 
chairs.  No  one  moved  ;  but  the  Emperor,  who  had  hitherto 
preserved  silence,  suddenly  raised  his  voice,  and  the  guests  at 
either  end  of  the  table,  who  had  completely  forgotten  his 
Majesty's  presence,  suddenly  strained  their  ears  to  catch  his 
remarks.  He  was  replying  to  a  dissertation  from  M.  Beulin- 
d'Oichere  against  the  practice  of  divorcing  married  people, 
which  at  that  time  did  not  prevail  in  France.  And  after 
pausing  and  glancing  at  the  very  low  bodice  of  the  young 
American  lady  who  sat  on  his  right  hand,  his  jMajesty  said  in 
a  drawling  voice  :  '  In  America  I  never  knew  of  any  but  plain 
wives  being  divorced.' 

At  this  a  laugh  ran  through  the  guests.  The  remark 
seemed  one  of  such  fine  and  delicate  wit  that  M.  La  Rouquette 
pondered  over  it  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  discover  some 
hidden  meaning.  The  young  American  lady,  however,  ap- 
peared to  think  it  a  compliment,  for  she  bowed  to  the 
Emperor  in  pleased  confusion.  Their  INlajesties  now  rose 
from  their  seats.  There  was  a  loud  rustling  and  tramping 
round  the  table  ;  and  the  ushers  and  footmen,  standing 
gravely  in  line  against  the  wall,  alone  preserved  an  attitude 
of  decorum  amidst  the  scramble  of  all  these  people  who  had 
dined  so  well.  However,  the  procession  was  formed  anew ; 
their  Majesties  at  the  head,  followed  by  the  guests  in  double 
file,  with  the  various  couples  parted  by  the  ladies'  spreading 
trains.  They  passed  through  the  Guard  Room  with  some- 
what panting  dignity,  while  behind  them,  in  the  full  light  of 
the  crystal  chandeliers,  over  the  litter  of  the  disordered  table, 


AT  COURT  153 

there  resounded  the  big  drum  of  the  military  band,  which 
was  finishing  the  last  figure  of  a  quadrille. 

Coftee  was  served  that  evening  in  the  Gallery  of  the 
Maps.  One  of  the  prefects  of  the  palace  presented  the 
Emperor's  cup  on  a  silver-gilt  salver.  Several  of  the  guests, 
however,  had  already  gone  off  to  the  smoking-room,  while  the 
Empress  had  retired  with  a  few  ladies  to  her  private  drawing- 
room  on  the  left  of  the  gallery.  It  was  whispered  that  she 
had  expressed  much  displeasure  at  the  peculiar  manner  in 
which  Clorinde  had  behaved  during  dinner.  During  the 
yearly  visits  to  Compiegne  she  tried  to  introduce  something 
like  homely  decorum  into  the  habits  of  the  Court,  with  a  taste 
for  innocent  amusements  and  rural  pleasure ;  and  she  dis- 
played a  strong  personal  antipathy  to  certain  eccentricities. 

M.  de  Plouguern  had  taken  Clorinde  aside  to  preach  her  a 
little  sermon,  in  the  hope  of  worming  a  confession  out  of  her. 
But  the  young  woman  affected  great  surprise.  How  had  she 
compromised  herself  with  Count  de  IMarsy  ?  They  had  only 
joked  together,  nothing  more. 

*  Well,  look  there,  then,'  said  the  old  senator.  And  forth- 
with he  pushed  back  a  door  which  already  stood  ajar,  and 
showed  her  ]\ladame  de  Llorentz  storming  away  at  M.  de 
Marsy  in  a  little  adjacent  salo7i,  which  he  had  previously 
seen  them  enter.  Wild  with  rage,  the  beautiful  blonde  was 
assailing  Marsy  in  the  most  unmeasured  language,  quite  re- 
gardless of  the  fact  that  the  loud  voice  in  which  she  was 
speakmg  might  bring  about  a  terrible  scandal.  The  Count, 
although  a  little  pale,  was  smiling  and  trying  to  appease  her, 
talking  to  her  rapidly  in  low  soft  tones.  Sounds  of  the 
quarrel  had,  however,  reached  the  gallery,  and  the  guests  who 
heard  them  prudently  retired  from  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
little  room. 

'  Do  you  want  her  to  publish  those  famous  letters  all  over 
the  chateau  ?  '  asked  M.  de  Plouguern,  who  had  begun  to  pace 
up  and  down  again,  after  giving  his  arm  to  Clorinde. 

'  It  would  be  fine  fun  !  '  she  exclaimed  with  a  loud  laugh. 

Then  the  old  senator,  squeezing  her  arm  like  some  young 
gallant,  began  to  scold  her  again.  She  must  leave  all  eccen- 
tric behaviour  to  IMadame  de  Combelot,  he  told  her.  And  he 
went  on  to  say  that  her  Majesty  appeared  very  much  annoyed 
with  her.  At  this  Clorinde,  who  cherished  a  sincere  devotion 
for  the  Empress,  seemed  quite  astonished.  What  had  she 
done  that  could  have  displeased  her  ? 


154  ^/^  EXCELLENCY 

Then,  as  they  reached  the  entrance  of  her  Majesty's 
private  drawing- room,  they  stopped  for  a  moment  and  peeped 
through  the  doorway,  which  had  been  left  open.  A  circle  of 
ladies  had  gathered  lomid  a  large  table,  and  the  Empress  was 
patiently  teaching  them  ring  puzzles,  while  a  few  gentlemen 
stood  behind  the  chairs  and  gravely  followed  the  lesson. 

In  the  meantime  Rougon  had  been  disputing  with  Dele- 
stang  at  the  end  of  the  gallery.  He  had  not  ventured  to 
speak  to  him  about  his  wife,  but  was  reproaching  him  for  the 
indifference  with  which  he  had  allowed  himself  to  be  stowed 
away  in  a  room  which  overlooked  the  courtyard  of  the 
chateau,  and  he  tried  to  induce  him  to  claim  one  with  a  view 
over  the  park.  However,  Clorinde  came  towards  them  leaning 
on  M.  de  Plouguern's  arm. 

'  Oh,  don't  bother  me  any  more  about  your  Marsy  !  '  she 
said  loudly  enough  to  be  heard.  '  I  won't  speak  to  him  again 
this  evening.     There  !  will  that  satisfy  you  ?  ' 

This  remark  quieted  everybody.  Just  at  that  moment 
M.  de  Marsy  came  out  of  the  little  room  looking  quite  gay. 
He  stopped  to  joke  for  a  moment  with  Chevalier  Rusconi,  and 
then  entered  the  private  drawing-room,  where  soon  afterwards 
the  Empress  and  the  ladies  could  be  heard  laughing  at  some 
story  he  was  telling  them.  Ten  minutes  later,  Madame  de 
Llorentz  also  reappeared.  She  looked  weary  and  her  hands 
were  trembling.  Observing,  however,  the  curious  glances 
which  took  note  of  her  slightest  gestures,  she  boldly  remained 
in  the  gallery  conversing  with  the  various  guests. 

There  was  a  growing  feeling  of  weariness  among  the 
company,  who  began  to  yawn  slightly  behind  their  handker- 
chiefs. The  evening  was  the  most  trying  time.  The  newly- 
invited  guests,  not  knowing  how  to  amuse  themselves,  went 
up  to  the  windows  and  gazed  into  the  darkness.  M.  Beulin- 
d'Orchere  continued  his  dissertation  against  divorce  laws  in  a 
corner  of  the  room ;  while  the  novelist,  who  felt  greatly 
bored,  asked  one  of  the  academicians  in  a  whisper  if  it  was 
permissible  to  go  to  bed.  Every  now  and  then,  however,  the 
Emperor  made  his  appearance  and  lounged  through  the  gallery 
with  a  cigarette  between  his  lips. 

'  It  was  impossible  to  arrange  anything  for  this  evening,' 
M.  de  Combelot  explained  to  the  little  group  in  which 
Rougon  and  his  friends  were  gathered.  '  To-morrow,  after 
the  stag-hunt,  the  offal  will  be  given  to  the  hounds  by  torch- 
light.    Then  on  the  day  after  to-morrow  the  artistes  of  the 


AT  COURT  155 

Comedie  FranQaise  are  coming  to  play  Les  Plaideurs.  There 
is  a  talk,  ton,  of  some  tableaux  vivants  and  a  charade,  which 
will  he  performed  towards  the  end  of  the  week.' 

Then  he  gave  them  details.  His  wife  was  going  to  take  a 
part,  and  the  rehearsals  would  soon  begin.  He  also  spoke  at 
length  about  an  excursion  which  the  Court  had  made  two  days 
previously  to  a  druidical  monolith,  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
which  some  excavations  were  being  carried  on  The  Empress 
had  insisted  upon  getting  down  into  the  pit  which  had  been 
dug. 

'  And  do  you  know,'  continued  the  chamberlain,  in  tones 
of  emotion,  '  the  workmen  were  lucky  enough  to  turn  up  two 
skulls  in  her  Majesty's  presence.  No  one  was  expecting  such 
a  thing,  and  it  caused  great  satisfaction.' 

So  saying,  he  stroked  that  black  beard  of  his  which  had 
been  the  source  of  so  much  of  his  success  among  the  ladies. 
There  was  a  somewhat  sawny  look  about  his  handsome  face, 
of  which  he  was  evidently  vain,  and  he  lisped  as  he  spoke. 

'  But  I  was  told,'  said  Clorinde,  '  that  the  actors  of  the 
Vaudeville  were  coming  down  to  perform  their  new  piece. 
The  women  wear  the  most  wonderful  dresses,  and  it's  excru- 
ciatingly fanny,  I  hear.' 

M.  de  Combelot  assumed  a  prudish  expression.  '  Yes,'  he 
said,  '  it  was  talked  of  for  a  moment.' 

'  Well  ?  ' 

'  The  idea  has  been  abandoned.  The  Empress  doesn't 
like  that  kind  of  piece.' 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  general  stir  in  the  gallery. 
All  the  men  had  come  down  from  the  smoking  room  again, 
and  the  Emperor  was  going  to  play  his  game  at  table  quoits. 
Madame  de  Combelot,  who  prided  herself  upon  being  a  very 
skilful  player,  had  just  asked  him  to  give  her  her  revenge,  for 
she  recollected  having  been  beaten  by  him  during  the  previous 
season.  As  she  spoke  to  him  she  assumed  an  air  of  surli 
humble  tenderness  and  such  a  meaning  smile,  that  his 
Majesty,  ill  at  ease  and  rather  alarmed,  was  obliged  to  turn 
his  eyes  away  from  her. 

The  game  began.  A  large  number  of  guests  gathered 
round  and  admiringly  criticised  the  play.  Standing  at  the 
end  of  the  long  table,  which  was  covered  with  a  green  cloth, 
the  young  woman  threw  her  first  quoit,  which  alighted  near 
the  white  point  representing  the  pin.  Then  the  Emperor, 
showing  even  greater  skill,  dislodged  it  with  his  own  quoit, 


r56  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

which  slipped  into  its  phice.    The  spectators  softly  applauded. 
However,  it  was  Madame  de  Conibelot  who  won  in  the  end. 

'  What  have  we  been  playing  for,  sire  ? '  she  boldly 
inquired. 

The  Emperor  smiled,  but  made  no  reply.  Then  he  turned 
round  and  said  :  '  Monsieur  Rougon,  will  you  have  a  game 
with  me  ? ' 

Rougon  bowed  and  took  up  the  quoits,  while  apologising 
for  his  unskilfulness  at  the  game. 

A  thrill  of  excitement  ran  through  the  spectators,  who 
stood  on  either  side  of  the  table.  Was  Rougon  really  coming 
into  favour  again  ?  The  latent  hostility  which  had  encompassed 
him  ever  since  his  arrival  now  melted,  and  the  guests  bent 
forward  and  watched  his  quoits  with  an  air  of  sympathy.  M. 
La  Rouquette,  feeling  still  more  perplexed  than  he  had  been 
before  dinner,  drew  his  sister  aside  to  ask  her  what  was  the 
true  state  of  affairs,  but  she  was  apparently  unable  to  give 
him  any  satisfactory  information,  for  he  returned  to  the  table 
making  a  gesture  of  perplexity. 

'  Ah,  very  good  ! '  murmured  Clorinde,  as  Rougon  made  a 
skilful  cast. 

She  darted  meaning  glances  at  those  friends  of  the  great 
man  who  were  present.  The  opportunity  seemed  a  favour- 
able one  for  helping  him  back  into  the  Emperor's  good 
graces.  She  commenced  the  onset  herself,  and  for  a  moment 
or  two  there  was  a  burst  of  laudatory  remarks. 

'  The  deuce !  '  exclaimed  Delestang,  who  could  think  of 
nothing  else  to  say,  though  he  was  anxious  to  obey  the  mute 
command  of  his  wife's  eyes. 

'  And  you  pretended  that  you  were  a  very  poor  player,' 
said  Chevalier  Rusconi  delightedly.  '  Ah,  sire,  pray  don't 
play  for  France  with  him.' 

*  But  Monsieur  Rougon  would  treat  France  very  well,  I'm 
sure,'  interposed  M.  Beulin-d'Orchere,  with  a  meaning  ex- 
pression on  his  dog- like  face. 

It  was  a  direct  hint.  The  Emperor  deigned  to  smile  ; 
and  he  even  laughed  good-naturedly  when  Rougon,  quite 
embarrassed  by  the  compliments,  modestly  explained  :  '  Well, 
I  used  to  play  at  pitch  and  toss  when  I  was  a  boy.' 

On  hearing  his  Majesty  laugh,  all  the  company  did 
likewise  ;  and  for  a  moment  the  gallery  rang  with  merriment. 
Clorinde,  with  her  sharp  wits,  had  realised  that  by  admiring 
Rougon,  who  was  in  fact  a  very  poor  player,  one  really  flat- 


AT  COURT  157 

tered  the  Emperor,  who  was  incontestably  his  superior. 
M.  de  Plouguern,  however,  had  not  yet  come  forward,  feeUng 
a  touch  of  jealousy  at  Rougon's  success.  So  Clorinde  went 
up  to  him  and  nudged  his  elbow  as  if  by  accident.  He 
understood,  her  meaning,  and  warmly  praised  his  colleague's 
next  throw.  Then  M.  La  Rouquette  made  up  his  mind  to 
risk  everything,  and  exclaimed :  '  Yes,  that  was  beautiful,  a 
delightfully  soft  throw  1  ' 

As  the  Emperor  won  the  game,  Rougon  aslied  for  his 
revenge,  and  the  quoits  were  again  gliding  over  the  green 
cloth  with  a  faint  rustling  sound  like  that  of  dry  leaves, 
when  a  lady-attendant  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  drawing- 
room,  holding  the  Prince  Imperial  in  her  arms.  The  child 
who  was  then  some  twenty  months  old,  was  dressed  in  a 
plain  white  robe.  His  hair  was  in  disorder  and  his  eyes  were 
heavy  with  sleep.  When  he  awoke  of  an  evening  in  this  way 
he  was  generally  brought  to  the  Empress  for  a  moment  so 
that  she  might  kiss  him.  He  looked  at  the  light  with  the 
serious  expression  characteristic  of  little  children. 

However,  an  old  man,  a  great  dignitary  of  the  Empire, 
came  forward,  dragging  his  gouty  legs.  And  bending  down, 
with  a  senile  tremor  of  his  head,  he  took  hold  of  the  baby- 
prince's  soft  little  hand  and  kissed  it,  saying  in  quavering 
accents  as  he  did  so  :  '  Monseigneur,  monseigneur ' 

But  the  child,  alarmed  by  the  other's  parchment-like 
visage,  hastily  recoiled,  clinging  to  the  lady  who  carried  him, 
and  venting  cries  of  fear.  Still  the  old  man  did  not  let  go 
his  hold ;  he  continued  to  protest  his  devotion,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  release  the  little  hand,  which  he  held  tightly  to 
his  lips,  from  his  adoring  grasp. 

*  Go  away,  take  him  off !  '  cried  the  Emperor  impatiently, 
to  the  lady-attendant. 

His  Majesty  had  just  lost  the  second  game,  and  the  de- 
ciding one  began.  Rougon,  taking  the  praises  which  he 
received  in  serious  earnest,  exerted  all  his  skill.  Clorinde 
was  now  of  opinion  that  he  played  too  well,  and,  just  as  he 
was  going  to  pick  up  his  quoits,  she  whispered  in  his  ear : 
'  I  hope  you  do  not  mean  to  win.' 

Rougon  smiled.  But  all  at  once  a  loud  bark  was  heard. 
It  came  from  Nero,  the  Emperor's  favourite  pointer,  which, 
taking  advantage  of  an  open  door,  had  just  bounded  into  the 
gallery.  His  Majesty  ordered  the  dog  to  be  taken  away,  and 
a  servant  had  already  caught   hold  of  its  collar  when  the 


158  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

aged  dignitary  again  sprang  forward  and  exclaimed :  *  My 
beautiful  Nero  !  my  beautiful  Nero  ! ' 

He  almost  knelt  upon  the  carpet  in  order  to  take  the  dog 
in  his  tremulous  arms.  He  pressed  its  head  to  his  breast 
and  kissed  it  as  he  said  :  '  I  beg  of  you,  sire,  do  not  send  him 
away.     How  handsome  he  is  ! ' 

The  Emperor  consented  that  the  dog  should  remain,  and 
the  old  man  went  on  with  his  caresses.  Unlike  the  little 
prince,  Nero  showed  no  sign  of  fear,  but  licked  the  withered 
hands  that  fondled  him. 

Kougon,  meantime,  was  blundering  in  his  play.  He  had 
just  thrown  a  quoit  so  clumsily  that  the  leaden  disc,  faced  with 
cloth,  flew  into  the  corsage  of  a  lady  who,  with  a  deal  of 
blushing,  drew  it  from  amidst  her  lace.  The  Emperor  won 
the  game,  and  the  company  delicately  gave  him  to  understand 
that  he  had  gained  a  real  victory.  His  Majesty  seemed  quite 
afi'ected  by  it,  and  went  off  with  Rougon,  chatting  to  him  as 
though  he  wanted  to  console  him  for  his  defeat.  They 
strolled  to  the  end  of  the  gallery,  leaving  the  body  of  the  room 
free  for  a  little  dance  which  was  just  then  being  arranged. 

The  Empress,  who  had  left  the  private  drawing-room,  was 
trying  to  relieve  the  increasing  boredom  of  her  guests.  She 
had  proposed  a  game  of  '  Consequences,'  but  it  was  getting 
late,  and  the  company  seemed  to  prefer  a  dance.  All  the 
ladies  were  now  assembled  in  the  Gallery  of  the  Maps,  and  a 
messenger  was  sent  to  the  smoking-room  to  summon  such 
gentlemen  as  were  still  hiding  there.  As  the  dancers  took  up 
their  positions  for  a  quadrille,  M.  de  Combelot  obligingly 
seated  himself  at  the  piano-organ,  the  handle  of  which  he 
gravely  began  to  turn.' 

'  Monsieur  Rougon,'  said  the  Emperor,  '  I  have  heard  some 
talk  of  a  work  you  are  engaged  upon  ;  a  comparison  of  the 
English  constitution  with  our  own.  I  might  be  able  to  supply 
you  with  some  useful  documents.' 

'  There  was  a  similar  instrument — like  a  cottage  piano  in  shape  but 
with  a  handle  at  the  side —  in  the  Empress's  private  rooms  at  the  Tuileries; 
and  at  her  Majesty's  Monday  receptions,  Prince  Eichard  Metternich,  the 
Austrian  Ambassador,  would  '  j^rind '  it  by  the  hour  just  like  some  pro- 
fessional of  the  streets.  Merimee  fell  out  for  a  time  with  Chevalier 
Nigra,  Victor  Emmanuel's  representative,  because  he  suggested  one 
afternoon  that  the  latter  should  relieve  the  Prince,  maliciously  adding 
that  organ  grinding  was  essentially  an  Italian  art. — Edi- 


AT  COURT  159 

'  Your  Majesty  is  very  kind.  But  I  am  contemplating 
another  design  ;  a  very  great  one  indeed.' 

Eougon,  finding  his  sovereign  so  kindly  disposed,  was 
desirous  of  profiting  by  it,  and  he  thereupon  unfolded  his  plan, 
his  dream  of  reclaiming  and  cultivating  the  Landes,  of  clear- 
ing several  square  leagues  of  soil,  founding  a  town,  and  con- 
quering, as  it  were,  a  new  country.  As  he  spoke,  the  Emperor 
looked  at  him,  and  in  his  eyes,  usually  so  expressionless,  there 
now  shone  a  glistening  light.  For  a  time,  however,  he  said 
nothing,  merely  nodding  every  now  and  then.  But  when 
Eougon  at  last  finished,  he  rejoined  :  '  Yes,  perhaps— it  is  to 
be  tliought  over.'  Then,  turning  towards  Clorinde,  her 
husband,  and  M.  de  Plouguern,  who  stood  in  a  group  near  at 
hand,  he  said  :  '  Monsieur  Delestang,  come  and  give  us  your 
opinion.  I  have  retained  the  most  pleasant  recollection  of 
my  visit  to  your  model  farm  of  La  Chamade.' 

Delestang  stepped  forward  ;  however,  the  little  group  which 
was  clustering  round  the  Emperor  now  had  to  retreat  into  one 
of  the  window-recesses.  A  waltz  Avas  being  danced,  and  as 
Madame  de  Combelot  passed  by,  reclining  in  M.  La  Rouquette's 
arms,  she  had  just  swept  her  long  train  round  his  Majesty's 
silk  stockings.  At  the  piano  M.  de  Combelot  seemed  to  be 
quite  enjoying  the  music  he  was  calling  forth,  for  he  turned 
the  handle  more  rapidly  than  ever,  swaying  his  handsome 
head,  and  every  now  and  then  glancing  towards  the  body  of 
the  instrument,  as  though  surprised  at  the  deep  notes  which 
came  from  it  at  certain  turns  he  gave. 

'  I  have  bred  some  magnificent  calves  this  year,  by  a  fresh 
crossing  of  strains,'  said  Delestang.  '  Unfortunately,  when 
your  Majesty  visited  me,  the  stalls  and  folds  were  under 
repair.' 

Thereupon  the  Emperor  began  to  speak  slowly  and  spas- 
modically of  agriculture,  cattle-breeding,  and  manures.  He 
had  entertained  great  esteem  for  Delestang  ever  since  his 
visit  to  La  Chamade  ;  and  was  particularly  pleased  with  the 
system  which  the  latter  had  introduced  whereby  his  farm- 
hands lived  in  common,  shared  certain  profits,  and  became 
entitled  to  old-age  pensions.  Napoleon  and  Clorinde's  husband 
had  idias  in  common,  certain  humanitarian  principles  which 
enabled  them  to  grasp  each  other's  thoughts  at  a  word. 

'  Has  Monsieur  Eougon  spoken  to  you  about  his  plan  ?  ' 
the  Emperor  asked. 

'  Oh,  yes  1 '   answered  Delestang.     '  It  is  a  magnificent 


i6o  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

scheme,  and  affords  a  chance  of  experimenting  on  a  very  grand 
scale.' 

He  evinced  genuine  enthusiasm.  He  was  greatly  in- 
terested in  pig-breeding,  he  said.  The  best  breeds  were  dying 
out  in  France.  Then  he  remarked  that  he  was  perfecting  a 
new  plan  for  the  improvement  of  meadow-lands  ;  but  to  make 
it  fully  successful,  large  tracts  of  country  would  be  necessary. 
However,  if  Eougon  should  succeed,  he  would  join  him  and 
put  his  system  to  trial.  Then,  all  at  once  he  stopped 
short,  for  he  had  just  noticed  that  his  wife's  eyes  were  earnestly 
fixed  upon  him.  Ever  since  he  had  begun  to  express  his 
approval  of  Eougon's  scheme,  she  had  been  biting  her  lips, 
looking  pale  and  wrathful.  '  Come,  my  dear,'  she  said  to 
him,  motioning  towards  the  piano-organ. 

M.  de  Combelot's  fingers  had  now  grown  cramped,  and  he 
was  opening  and  shutting  his  hands  to  remove  the  stiffness. 
Nevertheless,  with  the  smile  of  a  martyr  he  got  ready  to  begin 
a  polka  when  Delestang  hastened  forward  and  offered  to  take 
his  place  ;  an  offer  which  he  accepted  politely,  as  though  giving 
up  a  post  of  honour.  Then  Delestang  turned  the  handle,  and 
the  polka  began.  But  somehow  the  music  now  sounded 
differently ;  he  lacked  the  chamberlain's  flexible,  supple 
wrist. 

Eougon,  however,  was  anxious  to  get  some  definite  expres- 
sion of  opinion  from  the  Emperor.  His  Majesty,  who  really 
seemed  impressed,  asked  him  if  he  contemplated  establishing 
some  large  industrial  colonies  over  yonder,  and  added  that  he 
should  be  glad  to  grant  a  strip  of  land,  water  supply,  and  tools 
to  each  family.  Moreover,  he  promised  to  show  Eougon 
some  plans  of  bis  own,  which  he  had  noted  down  on  paper, 
for  the  establishment  of  a  place  of  the  kind,  wliere  the  houses 
would  be  of  uniform  construction,  and  every  want  would  be 
provided  for. 

'Certainly,  I  quite  enter  into  your  Majesty's  ideas,'  said 
Eougon,  though,  truth  to  tell,  Napoleon's  vague  socialism  made 
him  impatient.  '  We  can  do  nothing  without  your  Majesty's 
assistance  and  authority.  It  will  doubtless  bo  necessary  to 
expropriate  certain  vil'ages,  and  it  will  have  to  be  stated  that 
this  is  done  for  the  public  good.  I  shall  also  have  to  launch 
a  company  to  provide  the  requisite  funds.  A  word  from  your 
Majesty  will  be  necessary ' 

The  Emperor's  eyes  grew  dim  ;  but  he  went  on  nodding. 


AT  COURT  i6i 

Finally,  in  an  indistinct  voice,  he  said  :  '  We  will  see — we  will 
talk  about  it.' 

Then  he  walked  away,  passing  with  heavy  steps  through 
the  quadrille  party.  Eougon  put  on  a  cheerful  countenance, 
as  though  he  felt  sure  of  obtaining  a  favourable  answer. 
Clorinde,  however,  was  radiant.  By  degrees  a  report  spre.id 
among  the  grave,  staid  men  who  did  not  dance  that  Kougoii 
was  going  to  leave  Paris,  and  place  himself  at  the  head  of  a 
great  undertaking  in  the  south  of  France.  Then  they  all  came 
to  congratulate  him,  and  he  was  smiled  upon  from  one  end  of 
the  gallery  to  the  other.  Not  a  trace  remained  of  the  hostility 
which  had  been  shown  him  when  he  first  arrived.  Now  that 
he  was  voluntarily  going  into  exile,  they  all  felt  that  they 
could  shake  hands  with  him  without  risk  of  compromising 
themselves.  This  was  genuine  relief  for  many  of  the  guests. 
M.  La  Kouquette,  quitting  the  dancing  party,  discussed  the 
matter  with  Chevalier  Eusconi,  with  the  delight  of  a  man 
completely  set  at  his  ease.  '  It's  the  right  thing  he's  doing  ! 
He  will  make  a  great  success  down  there  !  '  said  the  young 
deputy.  '  Rougon  is  an  extremely  able  man,  but  in  politics 
he  is  deficient  in  tact.' 

Then  he  waxed  quite  emotional  over  the  Emperor's 
kindness.  His  Majesty,  he  said,  showed  as  much  regard  for 
his  old  servants  as  if  they  were  old  mistresses.  He  felt 
aflection  for  them  even  after  the  most  violent  ruptures.  It 
was  some  secret  softening  of  the  heart,  no  doubt,  that  had 
prompted  him  to  invite  Rougon  to  Compiegne.  And  La 
Rouquette  cited  other  incidents  which  did  honour  to  his 
Majesty's  kindness  of  nature.  He  had  given  four  hundred 
thousand  francs  to  pay  the  debts  of  a  general  who  had  been 
ruined  by  a  ballet  girl  ;  he  had  bestowed  eight  hundred 
thousand  upon  one  of  his  old  accomplices  at  Strasburg  and 
Boulogne  as  a  wedding  present,  and  had  laid  out  nearly  a 
million  for  the  benefit  of  the  widow  of  a  high  functionary. 

'  His  purse  is  at  every  one's  disposal,'  he  said  in  conclusion. 
'  He  only  allowed  himself  to  be  chosen  Emperor  in  order  that 
he  might  be  able  to  benefit  his  friends.  It  makes  me  shrug 
my  shoulders  when  I  hear  Republicans  reproaching  him  for 
his  big  civil  list.'  He  would  exhaust  ten  civil  lists  in  doing 
good.     All  the  money  he  gets  comes  back  to  France  again.' 

'  One   million  sterling   per   annum    for   himself;    400,000^.    for    the 
Empress  Eugenie  ;  and  200,000Z.  for  the  Prince  Imperial  1 — Ed. 

M 


1 62  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

While  chatting  in  an  undertone  after  this  fashion,  La 
Rouquette  and  Chovaher  Rusconi  continued  to  watch  the 
Emperor.  He  was  just  completing  his  round  of  the  gallery. 
He  adroitly  threaded  his  way  through  the  dancers,  silently 
crossing  the  clear  spaces  which  their  respect  opened  out  for 
him.  Whenever  he  passed  behind  a  lady  who  was  sitting 
doAvn,  he  slightly  inclined  his  neck  and  cast  an  oblique  glance 
at  her  bare  shoialders. 

'  And  he  has  such  a  mind,  too  ! '  said  Chevalier  Rusconi 
in  a  whisper.     '  He  is  an  extraordinary  man  ! ' 

The  Emperor  was  now  quite  close  to  them.  For  a  moment 
he  lingered  where  he  stood,  hesitating  and  gloomy.  Then  he 
seemed  inclined  to  approach  Clorinde,  who  was  looking  very 
merry  and  beautiful,  but  she  suddenly  fixed  her  eyes  on  him  so 
boldly  that  he  seemed  frightened,  for  he  went  on  again,  holding 
his  left  arm  behind  his  back,  and  twisting  the  ends  of  his  waxed 
moustache  with  his  right  hand.  At  last,  seeing  M.  Beulin- 
d'Orchere  in  front  of  him,  he  approached  him  sideways  and 
said  :  '  You  are  not  dancing.' 

The  judge  confessed  that  he  could  not  dance,  that  he 
had  never  danced  in  his  life.  Then  the  Emperor  replied 
encouragingly:  'Oh,  that  doesn't  matter!  That  needn't 
keep  you  from  dancing  now.' 

Those  were  his  last  words  for  the  evening.  He  quietly 
made  his  way  to  the  door,  and  disappeared. 

'Yes,  indeed,  he  is  an  extraordinary  man,'  said  M.  La 
Rouquette,  repeating  Chevalier  Rusconi's  phrase.  '  They 
think  a  great  deal  of  him  abroad,  don't  they  ?  ' 

The  Chevalier,  with  diplomatic  reserve,  nodded  vaguely. 
He  admitted,  however,  that  the  eyes  of  Europe  were  fixed 
upon  the  Emperor.  A  word  spoken  at  the  Tuileries  made 
neighbouring  thrones  tremble. 

'  He  is  a  prince  who  knows  how  to  hold  his  tongue,' 
he  adf'od  with  a  smile,  the  subtle  irony  of  which  escaped  the 
young  deputy. 

Then  they  returned  to  the  ladies  and  invited  partners  for 
the  next  quadrille.  For  the  last  quarter  of  an  hour  an  aide- 
de-camp  had  been  turning  the  handle  of  the  piano-organ. 
Both  Delestang  and  M.  de  Combelot  now  sprang  forward  and 
offered  to  take  his  place.  The  ladies,  however,  cried  out : 
*  Monsieur  de  Combelot !  Monsieur  de  Combelot !  He  does  it 
much  the  best ! ' 

The  chamberlain  thanked  them  for  the  compliment  with  a 


AT  COURT  i6 


o 


bow,  aud  began  to  turn  the  handle  with  professional  vigour. 
It  was  the  last  quadrille.  Tea  had  just  been  served  in  the 
private  drawing-room.  Nero,  having  made  his  appearance 
from  behind  a  couch,  was  glutted  with  sandwiches.  The 
guests  gathered  in  little  groups  and  chatted  familiarly.  M.  de 
Plouguern,  who  had  carried  a  little  cake  to  a  side  table,  ate  it 
aud  sipped  his  tea,  while  explaining  to  Delestang  how  it  was 
that  he,  so  well  known  to  hold  Legitimist  opinions,  had  come 
to  accept  invitations  to  Compicgne.  The  reason  was  very 
simple,  he  said.  He  could  not  refuse  his  support  to  a  govern- 
ment which  rescued  France  from  anarchy.  Then  he  broke 
off  to  say :  '  This  cake  is  very  nice.  I  didn't  make  a  very 
good  dinner  this  evening.* 

His  caustic  tongue  was  always  ready  to  wag  when  he 
found  himself  at  Compiegne.  He  spoke  of  most  of  the  ladies 
present  with  a  bluntness  which  called  blushes  to  Delestang's 
face.  The  only  one  for  whom  he  showed  respect  was  the 
Empress.  She  was  a  saint,  he  said,  a  woman  of  exemplary 
devotion.  He  asserted,  too,  that  she  was  a  Legitimist,  and 
would  have  recalled  Henry  V.  to  the  throne  had  she  been  free 
to  do  so.  Then,  for  a  moment,  he  dwelt  upon  the  delights  of 
religion.  Just  as  he  was  sliding  off  into  an  indelicate  story, 
the  Empress  retired  to  her  own  rooms,  followed  by  Madame 
de  Llorentz.  On  reaching  the  threshold  of  the  salon,  she 
made  a  low  courtesy  to  the  company,  who  bowed  to  her  in 
silence. 

The  rooms  now  began  to  get  empty.  The  remaining 
guests  talked  in  louder  tones,  and  exchanged  parting  shakes  of 
the  hand.  When  Delestang  looked  for  his  wife  to  go  upstairs 
with  her  he  could  not  find  her.  At  last,  Rougon,  who  helped 
him  in  his  search,  discovered  Clorinde  sitting  with  M.  de 
Marsy  in  the  little  room  where  Madame  de  Llorentz  had  so 
violently  upbraided  the  Count  after  dinner.  The  young 
woman  was  laughing  loudly.  ^Yhen  she  saw  her  husband 
she  rose  up.  '  Good-evening,  Monsieur  le  Comte,  she  gaily 
said  to  Marsy ;  '  you  will  see  to-morrow,  at  the  hunt,  if  I 
don't  win  my  bet.' 

Rougon  glanced  after  her  as  her  husband  led  her  away  on 
his  arm.  He  would  have  liked  to  accompany  them  to  their 
door  to  ascertain  what  bet  it  was  that  she  had  spoken  of,  but 
M.  de  Marsy,  evincing  the  greatest  politeness,  detained  him, 
and  he  could  not  get  away.  ^Yhen  he  was  at  last  free, 
instead  of  going  up  to  his  room,  he  took  advantage  of   an 

m2 


i54  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

open  door  to  slip  into  the  park.  It  was  a  very  dark  October 
night,  without  a  star  or  a  puff  of  wind,  a  black,  dead  night. 
Lofty  plantations  arose  far  away  like  promontories  of  dark- 
ness. He  could  scarcely  distinguish  the  paths  in  front  of  him. 
Holding  his  hat  in  his  hand,  he  let  the  cool  night  air  play  on 
his  brow  for  a  moment.  This  freshened  him  like  a  bath. 
Then  he  lingered  there  looking  at  a  brightly-lighted  window 
on  the  left  front  of  the  chateau.  The  other  windows  gradu- 
ally became  black,  and  this  was  soon  the  only  gleaming  spot 
in  the  sleeping  pile.  The  Emperor  was  sitting  up.  And 
Rougon  fancied  he  could  distinguish  his  shadow  passing 
across  the  blind,  a  huge  head  beyond  which  projected  the 
ends  of  a  long  moustache.  It  was  followed  by  two  other 
shadows  ;  one  very  shght,  and  the  other  so  big  that  it  shut 
off  all  the  light.  In  the  latter  Rougon  clearly  recognised  the 
gigantic  silhouette  of  an  agent  of  the  secret  police,  with 
whom  his  Majesty  frequently  closeted  himself  for  hours. 
Then,  as  the  slimmer  shadow  again  passed  before  the  window, 
Rougon  thought  it  seemed  like  a  woman's.  However, 
nothing  more  appeared,  the  windoAV  glowed  in  all  quietude, 
like  some  large  bright  eye  gazing  into  the  mysterious  depths 
of  the  park.  Perhaps,  thought  Rougon,  the  Emperor  was 
now  considering  his  scheme  for  clearing  the  Landes  and 
founding  an  industrial  centre,  where  the  extinction  of 
pauperism  might  be  attempted  on  a  large  scale.  He  knew 
that  Napoleon  frequently  came  to  important  determinations 
at  night-time.  It  was  at  night  that  he  signed  decrees,  wrote 
manifestoes  and  dismissed  his  ministers.  But  presently 
Rougon  began  to  smile.  He  had  recalled  a  story  of  the 
Emperor  wearing  a  blue  apron,  and  hanging  wall-paper  at 
three  francs  a  piece  in  a  room  at  Trianon,  where  he  intended 
to  lodge  a  mistress  ;  and  he  pictured  him  now,  in  the  silence 
of  his'  study,  cutting  out  woodcuts  and  sticking  them  neatly 
in  a  scrap-book. 

But  all  at  once  Rougon  found  himself  raising  his  arms 
and  involuntarily  exclaiming  aloud  :  '  Ah !  his  friends  made 
him  !  ' 

Then  he  hurried  back  into  the  chateau.  He  was  beginning 
to  feel  very  cold,  especially  about  the  legs,  which  his  knee- 
breeches  left  uncomfortably  exposed. 

A  Httle  before  nine  o'clock  on  the  following  morning 
Clorinde  sent  Antonia,  whom  she  had  brought  with  her,  to 
ask  Rougon  if  she  and  her  husband  might  breakfast  with 


AT  COURT  165 

him.  He  had  ah-eady  ordered  a  cup  of  chocolate,  but  did  not 
touch  it  till  they  came.  Antonia  preceded  them,  carrying  a 
large  silver  salver  on  which  their  coffee  had  been  brought  to 
their  bedroom. 

'  Ah  !  this  will  be  more  cheerful !  '  exclaimed  Clorinde  as 
she  entered.  '  You  have  got  the  sun  on  your  side.  You  are 
much  better  off  than  we  are.' 

Then  she  began  to  inspect  the  suite  of  rooms.  It  con- 
sisted of  an  ante-chamber,  on  the  right  of  which  there  was 
a  little  room  for  a  valet.  Then  there  was  the  guest's  bed- 
room, a  spacious  apartment  hung  with  cream-coloured  chintz 
having  a  pattern  of  big  red  flowers.  There  was  a  large 
square  mahogany  bedstead  and  an  immense  grate  in  which 
some  huge  logs  were  blazing. 

'  Of  course  !  You  ought  to  have  complained !  '  said 
Rougon.  '  I  would  not  have  put  up  with  a  room  looking 
on  to  the  courtyard.  Ah  !  if  people  don't  assert  themselves 
— I  was  talking  to  Delestang  about  it  only  last  night.' 

The  young  woman  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  rephed  : 
'  Oh  !  he  would  raise  no  objection  if  they  wanted  to  lodge  me 
in  a  garret !  ' 

However,  she  now  wished  to  examine  the  dressing-room, 
all  the  fittings  of  which  were  of  Sevres  porcelain,  white  and 
gold,  with  the  Imperial  monogram.  Then  she  went  to  look 
out  of  the  window,  and  a  faint  cry  of  surpri-e  and  admiration 
came  from  her  lips.  For  leagues  in  front  of  her,  the  lofty 
trees  of  the  forest  of  Compiegne  spread  out  like  a  rolling  sea, 
their  huge  crests  rising  and  falling  in  gentle  billows,  till  they 
faded  from  sight  in  the  distance.  And  in  the  pale  sunlight 
of  that  October  morning,  the  forest  glowed  alternately  with 
gold  and  purple,  with  the  splendour  of  a  gorgeously  em- 
broidered mantle  spread  out  from  horizon  to  horizon. 

'  Come,  let  us  have  breakfast ! '  said  Clorinde. 

They  cleared  a  table  on  which  were  an  inkstand  and  a 
blotting-pad,  finding  it  rather  amusing  to  w^ait  upon  them- 
selves. The  young  woman,  who  was  in  a  very  merry  mood, 
declared  that  on  awaking  that  morning  it  had  seemed  to  her 
as  if  she  were  in  an  inn,  an  inn  kept  by  a  prince,  at  which 
she  had  ahghted  after  a  long  journey  through  dreamland. 
This  haphazard  kind  of  breakfast,  served  upon  silver  salvers, 
dehghted  her  like  some  adventure  in  an  unknown  country. 

Meantime,  Dele'^tang  gazed  in  wonder  at  the  quantity  of 
wood  which  was  burning  in  the  grate.     And  at  last,  with  his 


r66  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

eyes  still  fixed  upon  the  flames,  he  muttered  thoughtfully  : 
'  I  have  been  told  that  they  burn  fifteen  hundred  francs' 
worth  of  wood  every  day  a.t  the  chateau.  Fifteen  hundred 
francs'  worth !  Don't  you  think  it's  rather  a  high  figure, 
Rougon  ? ' 

Rougon,  who  was  slowly  sipping  his  chocolate,  just  nodded 
his  head  by  way  of  reply.  He  was  disturbed  by  Clorinde's 
gay  animation.  She  seemed  that  morning  all  aglow  with 
feverish  beauty,  her  eyes  glistening  as  with  the  fire  of  battle. 

'  What  was  the  bet  you  were  talking  about  last  night  ?  ' 
Rougon  asked  abruptly. 

She  began  to  laugh,  but  as  he  pressed  his  question,  she 
replied :  '  You  will  see  presently.' 

Then,  by  degrees,  Rougon  grew  angry,  and  spoke  harshly 
to  the  young  woman.  It  was  an  outburst  of  real  jealousy, 
and  veiled  allusions  soon  developed  into  direct  accusations. 
She  had  made  a  perfect  exhibition  of  herself  on  the  previous 
evening,  he  said  ;  she  had  let  M.  de  Marsy  hold  her  hand  for 
more  than  two  minutes.  Delestang  listened  to  all  this,  but, 
instead  of  showing  any  concern,  quietly  steeped  some  strips  of 
toast  in  his  coffee. 

'  Ah  !  if  I  were  your  husband ! '  Rougon  cried  at  last. 

Clorinde  had  just  risen,  and,  standing  behind  Delestang, 
with  her  hands  resting  on  his  shoulders,  she  responded : 
*  Well,  supposing  you  were  my  husband,  what  then  ?  ' 

And  stooping  down,  she  stirred  Delestang' s  hair  with  her 
warm  breath,  as  she  added :  '  He  would  behave  properly, 
wouldn't  he,  dear,  just  as  you  do  ? ' 

Delestang  turned  his  head,  and,  by  way  of  answer,  kissed 
the  hand  that  lay  on  his  left  shoulder.  He  looked  at  Rougon 
with  an  expression  of  emotion  and  embarrassment,  blinking 
as  though  he  wished  him  to  understand  that  he  was  really 
going  a  little  too  far.  Rougon  nearly  called  him  a  fool. 
However,  when  Clorinde  made  a  sign  to  him  over  her 
husband's  head,  he  followed  her  to  the  open  window,  on  the 
hanf^-ail  of  which  she  leant.  For  a  moment  she  remained 
silei.  her  eyes  fixed  on  the  far-spreading  prospect.  Then 
she  abruptly  asked  him  :  *  Why  do  you  want  to  leave  Paris  ? 
Don't  you  care  for  me  any  longer  ?  Listen  now  ;  I  will  be 
quite  steady,  and  follow  your  advice,  if  you  will  give  up  that 
plan  of  exiling  yourself  to  that  horrid,  outlandish  place.' 

Rougon  became  very  grave  at  this  proposal.  He  began  to 
dwell  on  the  great  motives  which  influenced  him  ;  besides,  it 


AT  COURT  T67 

was  impossible  now,  be  said,  for  him  to  withdraw.  While  he 
was  speaking,  Clorinde  vainly  tried  to  read  the  real  truth  in 
his  face.     He  seemed  quite  determined  to  go. 

'Very  well,  then;  you  don't  care  for  me  any  longer,'  re- 
sumed the  young  woman.  '  So  I  am  at  liberty  to  follow  my 
own  inclinations.     Well,  you  will  see  !  ' 

Then  she  left  the  window,  and  once  more  began  to  laugh. 
Delestang,  who  still  seemed  to  find  the  fire  a  source  of  great 
interest,  was  trying  to  calculate  how  many  grates  there  might 
be  in  the  chutoau.  Clorinde,  hoAvever,  broke  in  upon  his 
meditations,  saying  that  she  had  only  just  time  to  dress, 
unless  she  was  to  miss  the  hunt.  Rougon  accompanied  her 
and  her  husband  into  the  corridor,  a  long  conventual  passage 
with  a  thick  green  carpet.  And  as  Clorinde  went  oft'  she 
amused  herself  by  reading  the  names  of  the  guests,  which 
were  written  on  small  cards  in  wooden  frames  which  hung 
from  the  difl'erent  doors.  When  slie  liad  got  to  the  very  end 
of  the  corridor,  she  turned,  and,  tliinking  that  Kougon  looked 
perplexed,  as  if  he  wished  to  call  her  back,  she  halted,  and  for 
a  moment  waited  smiling.  But  he  went  back  into  his  room, 
slamming  the  door  behind  him. 

The  second  breakfast  was  served  early  that  morning. 
There  was  much  conversation  concerning  the  weather,  which 
was  all  that  could  be  wished  for  the  hunt.  There  was  a  good 
clear  Ught,  and  the  atmosphere  was  calm.  The  Court  car- 
riages set  out  shortly  before  noon  ;  the  meet  being  at  the 
King's  Well,  a  large  open  space  where  several  roads  met  in 
tlie  middle  of  the  forest.  The  Imperial  hunting-train  had 
been  waiting  there  for  more  than  an  hour;  the  mounted 
huntsmen  in  crimson  breeches  and  great  laced  hats ;  the 
dog-keepers  wearing  black  shoes  with  silver  buckles  to  enable 
them  to  run  with  ease  among  the  brushwood  ;  while  the  car- 
riages of  the  guests  invited  from  the  neighbouring  chateaux 
were  drawn  up  in  a  semicircle  in  front  of  the  hounds,  and  in 
the  centre  were  groups  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  all  in  Court 
hunting-dress,  like  figures  out  of  some  old  picture  of  the  time 
of  Louis  XV.  The  Emperor  and  the  Empress  did  not  follow 
the  hunt  that  day,  and  as  soon  as  the  hounds  had  been  slipped 
their  Majesties'  char-a-bancs  turned  down  a  bye-road  and  came 
back  to  the  chateau.  Many  others  folloAved  this  example. 
Rougon  had  at  first  tried  to  keep  up  with  Clorinde,  but  she 
spurred  on  her  horse  so  wildly  that  he  was  left  behind,  and, 
thereupon,  in    disgust,  determined  to  return,   infuriated  at 


1 68  ms  EXCELLENCY 

seeing  the  young  woman  galloping  in  the  distance  down  a  long 
avenue,  with  j\l.  de  INIarsy  by  her  side. 

Towards  half-past  five  o'clock,  Rougon  received  an  invita- 
tion to  take  tea  in  the  private  apartments  of  the  Empress. 
This  was  a  favour  which  was  usually  granted  to  men  of 
interesting  and  witty  conversation.  He  found  M.  Beulin- 
d'Orchere  and  M.  de  Plouguern  already  there.  The  latter 
was  relating  a  somewhat  improper  story  in  carefully-chosen 
words,  and  his  narrative  achieved  enormous  success.  Only  a 
few  of  the  hunting-party  had  as  yet  returned.  Madame  de 
Combelot  came  in,  saying  that  she  felt  dreadfully  tired,  and 
when  the  company  asked  her  how  matters  had  gone  off,  she 
replied  with  an  affectation  of  semi-technical  jargon  :  '  Oh,  the 
animal  beat  us  off  for  more  than  four  hours.  For  a  time  he 
unharboured  in  the  open.  But  at  last  he  turned  to  bay  near 
the  Red  Pool,  and  the  death  was  superb.' 

Then  Chevalier  Rusconi  mentioned  another  incident  with 
some  uneasiness.  '  Madame  Delestang's  horse  bolted,'  he 
said.  '  She  disappeared  in  the  direction  of  Pierrefonds,  and 
nothing  has  since  been  seen  or  heard  of  her.' 

He  was  at  once  overwhelmed  with  questions,  and  the 
Empress  seemed  much  distressed.  He  said  that  Clorinde  had 
kept  up  a  tremendous  pace  all  the  time,  and  had  excited  the 
admiration  of  the  most  experienced  riders.  All  at  once,  how- 
ever, her  horse  had  bolted  down  a  side  lane. 

'  She  had  been  dreadfully  whipping  the  poor  animal,'  in- 
terposed M.  La  Rouquette,  who  was  burning  to  get  a  word  in. 
'  Monsieur  de  Marsy  galloped  off  to  her  assistance,  and  he, 
also,  has  not  been  seen  since.' 

At  this,  Madame  de  Llorentz,  who  sat  behind  her  Majesty, 
rose  from  her  seat.  She  fancied  that  some  of  the  company 
were  looking  at  her  and  smiling,  and  she  became  quite  livid. 
The  conversation  had  turned  upon  the  dangers  of  hunting. 
One  day,  said  one  of  the  guests,  the  stag  had  run  into  a  farm- 
yard, and  had  then  turned  and  charged  the  hounds  so 
suddenly  that  a  lady  had  her  leg  broken  amidst  the  confusion. 
Then  the  company  began  to  indulge  in  various  suppositions. 
If  M.  de  Marsy  had  succeeded  in  checking  Madame  Dele- 
stang's horse,  they  had,  perhaps,  both  dismounted  for  a  few 
minutes'  rest ;  there  were  a  large  number  of  shelter  places, 
huts  and  sheds  and  pavilions,  in  the  forest.  However,  it 
seemed  to  Madame  de  Llorentz  that  this  suggestion  prompted 
more  smiling,  and  that  the  others  were  stealthily  eyeing  her 


AT  COURT  169 

jealous  anger.     As  for  Rougou,  he  kept  silent,    but   beat  a 
feverish  tattoo  on  his  knees  with  his  finger  tips. 

The  Empress  had  given  orders  that  Clorinde  should  be 
asked  to  come  and  have  some  tea  as  soon  as  she  returned. 
And  all  at  once  there  was  a  chorus  of  exclamations.  The 
young  woman  appeared  on  the  threshold,  with  a  flushed, 
smiling,  radiant  face.  She  thanked  her  Majesty  for  the  con- 
cern which  she  showed  about  her,  and  then  calmly  continued  : 
'  I  am  so  sorry.  You  really  shouldn't  have  made  yourselves 
uneasy.  I  made  a  bet  with  Monsieur  de  Marsy  that  I  would 
be  in  at  the  death  before  he  was.  And  so  I  should  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  that  provoking  horse  of  mine.'  Then  she  added 
gaily  :  '  Well,  we  neither  of  us  lost,  after  all.'  However,  they 
made  her  tell  them  her  adventure  in  detail,  which  she  did, 
without  the  least  sign  of  confusion.  After  a  mad  gallop  of 
ten  minutes  or  so,  her  horse  had  fallen,  she  said,  but  she  her- 
self had  sustained  no  hurt.  Then,  as  she  was  trembling  a 
little  from  the  excitement,  M.  de  Marsy  had  taken  her  for  a 
moment  into  a  shed. 

'Ah,  we  guessed  that!'  exclaimed  M.  La  Rouquette. 
'  You  said  a  shed,  didn't  you  ?  I  myself  mentioned  a 
pavilion,' 

'  It  must  have  been  a  very  uncomfortable  place,'  said  M. 
de  Plcuguern  mischievously. 

Clorinde,  without  ceasing  to  smile,  replied  slowly :  '  Oh, 
dear  no,  I  assure  you.  There  was  some  straw,  and  I  sat 
down.  It  was  a  big  shed  full  of  spiders'  webs.  It  was  grow- 
ing dark,  too.  Oh !  it  was  very  droll.'  Then,  looking  in 
Madame  de  Llorentz's  face,  and  speaking  with  still  more 
dehberation,  she  added  :  '  Monsieur  de  Marsy  was  extremely 
kind  to  me.' 

While  Clorinde  had  been  narrating  this  story,  Madame  de 
Llorentz  had  kept  two  fingers  closely  pressed  to  her  lips, 
and  on  hearing  the  conclusion  she  shut  her  eyes  as  if  dazed 
by  anger.  iShe  remained  thus  for  another  minute  ;  and 
then,  feeling  that  she  could  contain  herself  no  further,  she 
left  the  room.  M.  de  Plougueru,  curious  as  to  her  intentions, 
slipped  away  after  her.  As  for  Clorinde,  when  she  saw 
Madame  de  Llorentz  disappear,  an  involuntary  expression  of 
victory  appeared  upon  her  face. 

The  conversation  now  turned  upon  other  subjects.  M. 
Beulin-d'Orchere  began  to  speak  of  a  scandalous  lawsuit  which 
was  exciting  a  deal  of  public  interest.    It  was  a  wife's  applica- 


176  HIS  EXCELLEircV 

tion  for  a  judicial  separation  from  her  husband  ;  and  he  gave 
certain  particulars  of  the  affair  in  such  delicately  couched  lan- 
guage that  Madame  de  Combelot  did  not  fully  understand  him, 
but  asked  for  explanations.  Chevalier  Ruscoui  then  aftbrded 
the  company  much  pleasure  by  softly  singing  some  popular 
Piedmontese  love  songs,  which  he  afterwards  translated  into 
French.  In  the  middle  of  one  of  these  songs  Delestang 
entered  the  room.  He  had  just  returned  from  the  forest, 
which  he  had  been  scouring  for  the  last  two  hours  in  search 
of  his  wife.  His  strange  appearance  excited  a  general  smile. 
The  Empress  seemed  to  have  taken  a  sudden  friendship  for 
Clorinde,  for  she  had  made  her  sit  beside  her  and  was  talking 
to  her  about  horses.  Pyrame,  the  horse  which  the  young 
woman  had  been  riding,  was  a  hard  goer,  said  the  Empress  ; 
and  she  promised  that  she  should  have  C6sar  on  the  following 
day. 

On  Clorinde's  arrival,  Eougon  had  gone  to  one  of  the 
windows,  feigning  great  interest  in  some  lights  which  were 
gleaming  in  the  distance  to  the  left  of  the  park.  As  he  stood 
there  no  one  could  detect  the  slight  quivering  of  his  features. 
He  remained  thus,  looking  out  into  the  darkness,  for  a  long- 
time, only  turning  when  M.  de  Plouguern  came  back  into  the 
room  and  stepped  up  to  him. 

Eougon  remained  quite  impassive  as  the  other  whispered 
in  his  ear,  in  a  voice  feverish  with  satisfied  curiosity  :  '  There 
has  been  a  terrible  scene  !  I  followed  her  out  of  the  room. 
She  met  Marsy  at  the  end  of  the  corridor.  They  both  went 
into  a  room  together,  and  I  heard  Marsy  telling  her  roundly 
that  she  bored  him  to  death.  She  rushed  out  again  like  a 
mad  woman,  and  went  off  towards  the  Emperor's  study.  I 
feel  sure  that  she  went  to  lay  those  famous  letters  on  his 
desk.' 

Just  at  that  moment  Madame  de  Llorentz  reappeared. 
She  was  very  pale ;  some  of  her  hair  strayed  over  her  brow, 
and  she  panted.  However,  she  resumed  her  seat  behind  the 
Empress  with  the  despairing  calmness  of  one  who  has  just 
performed  on  herself  some  terrible  operation  which  may  have 
a  fatal  result. 

'  I'm  sure  she  has  taken  the  letters,'  said  M.  de  Plouguern, 
examining  her. 

Then,  as  Eougon  did  not  seem  to  understand  him,  he  left 
him ;  and,  stooping  behind  Clorinde,  began  to  tell  her  his 
story.     She  listened  to  him  with  delight,  her  eyes  sparkling. 


AT  COURT  171 

It  was  not  until  the  approach  of  the  dinner-hour,  when  the 
company  quitted  the  Eropress's  private  room,  that  she 
appeared  conscious  of  Rougon's  presence.  Then  she  took  his 
arm  and  said  to  him,  as  Delestang  followed  on  behind  :  '  Well 
now,  you  see If  you  had  been  more  amiable  this  morn- 
ing, I  shouldn't  have  nearly  broken  my  legs.' 

That  evening  the  offal  of  the  stag  was  distributed  by 
torchlight  to  the" hounds  in  the  courtyard.  As  the  guests  left 
the  dining-room,  instead  of  immediately  returning  to  the 
Gallery  of  the  Maps,  they  dispersed  through  the  reception 
rooms  in  the  front  part  of  the  chateau,  where  the  windows 
were  all  wide  open.  The  Emperor  took  up  position  on  the 
central  balcony,  which  afforded  accommodation  for  a  score  of 
other  personages. 

Down  below,  on  either  side  of  the  courtyard,  a  row  of  foot- 
men, in  full  hvery  and  with  hair  powdered,  was  ranged  from 
the  steps  to  the  gate.  Each  held  a  long  staff  surmounted  by 
a  blazing  cresset,  in  which  tow  had  been  steeped  in  spirits  of 
wine.  The  lofty  greenish  flames  seemed  to  dance  in  the  air, 
glaring  through 'the  darkness  without  illuminating  it,  brighten- 
ing nothing  except  the  scarlet  waistcoats,  to  which  they  lent 
a  purplish  tinge.  Behind  the  footmen,  on  both  sides  of  the 
courtyard,  there  were  numerous  middle-class  people  of 
Compiegne,  whose  dim  faces  swarmed  in  the  darkness,  the 
flaring  tow  every  now  and  then  revealing  some  hideous 
verdurous  countenance.  In  the  centre,  in  front  of  the  steps 
of  the  chateau,  the  offal  of  the  stag  lay  in  a  heap.  Over  it 
was  stretched  the  skin  of  the  animal,  the  head  and  antlers 
lying  in  front.  At  the  other  end,  near  the  gate,  Avere  the 
hounds  in  charge  of  the  huntsmen  ;  and  some  dog-keepers,  in 
green  livery  and  white  cotton  stockings,  were  waving  torches. 
In  the  bright  ruddy  glow,  broken  by  clouds  of  smoke  which 
rolled  away  towards  the  town,  the  hounds  could  be  seen 
crowding  together,  and  panting  heavily  with  distended 
mouths. 

The  Emperor  remained  standing.  Every  now  and  then  a 
sudden  flash  of  torchlight  showed  up  his  blank  impenetrable 
face.  Clorinde  had  watched  his  every  movement  during 
dinner  without  detecting  anything  more  than  a  nielancboly 
weariness,  the  moodiness  of  an  invalid  who  suffers  in  silence. 
Only  once  had  she  fancied  that  she  saw  him  casting  a  faint 
side-glance  at  M.  de  Marsy.  And  there  on  the  balcony  he  still 
remained  moody,  stooping  a  httle  and  twisting  his  moustache, 


172  iris  EXCELLENCY 

while  behind  him  the  guests  rose  upon  tip-toe  in  order  to  get 
a  better  view, 

'  Come,  Firmin  !  '  he  said,  ahnost  impatiently.  Then  the 
huntsmen  sounded  the  '  Royale.'  The  hounds  threw  tongue, 
straining  their  necks  and  rearing  on  their  hind  legs  with 
uproarious  efforts.  And,  as  the  keeper  held  up  the  stag's 
head  in  sight  of  the  maddened  pack,  Firmin,  the  chief  hunts- 
man, who  stood  upon  the  steps,  let  his  whip  drop ;  the 
hounds,  which  had  been  waiting  for  this  signal,  bounded  in 
three  great  leaps  across  the  courtyard,  quivering  and  panting 
with  hungry  excitement.  Firmin,  however,  had  picked  up 
his  whip  again  ;  and  the  hounds,  suddenly  checked  within  a 
few  yards  of  the  offal,  squatted  upon  the  pavement,  while 
their  backs  shook  with  excitement  and  their  throats  seemed 
like  to  burst  with  barks  of  desire.  But  they  were  obliged  to 
retreat — to  return  across  the  courtyard  and  assume  their 
previous  position  by  the  gate. 

'Oh, the  poor  animals!  '  said  Madame  de  Combelot,  with 
an  air  of  languid  compassion. 

'  Splendid  ! '  cried  M.  La  Rouquette. 

Chevalier  Rusconi  applauded  loudly.  Several  of  the 
ladies  were  leaning  forward  in  their  excitement,  while  their 
lips  quivered  and  their  hearts  throbbed  with  desire  to  see  the 
hounds  devour  their  prey.  Would  they  not  be  allowed  to 
have  the  bones  at  once  ?  they  asked. 

'  No,  not  just  yet,'  said  several  voices. 

Firmin  had  again  twice  dropped  and  then  raised  his  whip. 
The  hounds  were  exasperated  and  foamed  at  the  mouth.  But 
the  third  time,  Firmin  did  not  raise  his  whip  again.  The 
valet  rushed  away,  carrying  off'  the  stag's  head  and  skin, 
while  the  dogs  leapt  forward  and  seized  the  offal.  Their 
furious  barking  subsided  into  a  low  quivering  growl  of  enjoy- 
ment. Bones  could  be  heard  cracking.  Then  general  satis 
faction  was  expressed  upon  the  balcony  and  at  the  windows. 
The  ladies  smiled  in  chilly  fashion  and  clenched  their  white 
teeth,  and  the  men  looked  on  with  glistening  eyes,  while 
twisting  the  tootlipicks  tliey  had  brought  from  the  dining- 
room.  In  the  courtyard  came  sudden  brilliance.  The  hunts- 
men sounded  a  flourish  on  their  horns  ;  the  dog-keepers  waved 
their  torches,  and  a  blaze  of  coloured  lights  arose,  setting  the 
night  aflare  and  then  raining  sanguineously  on  the  placid 
heads  of  the  townsfolk  on  either  hand. 

The  Emperor,  however,  turned  bis  back  upon  the  scene, 


AT  COURT  173 

and  on  noticing  Kougon  close  to  him,  he  seemed  to  awake 
from  the  moody  reverie  in  which  he  had  been  absorbed  since 
dinner.  '  Monsieur  Rougon,'  he  said,  '  I  have  been  thinking 
about  that  scheme  of  yours.  There  are  difficulties  in  the  way 
— many  difficulties.'  Then,  after  a  momentary  pause,  he 
opened  his  lips  to  speak  again,  but  closed  them  without  saying 
anything.  However,  as  he  went  away,  he  added  :  '  You  must 
remain  in  Paris,  Monsieur  Rougon.' 

Clorinde,  who  heard  him,  made  a  gesture  of  triumph.  The 
Emperor's  remark  immediately  spread  through  the  company, 
and  the  guests  once  more  became  grave  and  anxious,  as 
Rougon  slowly  made  his  way  through  their  midst,  towards  the 
Gallery  of  the  Maps. 

Down  below  in  the  courtyard,  the  hounds  were  finishing 
their  bones.  They  flung  themselves  wildly  a-top  of  one 
another  in  order  to  reach  the  prey.  With  their  writhing 
backs,  white  and  black,  all  jumbled  together,  they  were  like 
a  living  wave,  surging  and  struggling  and  roaring  hungrily. 
Their  jaws  snapped,  and  they  bolted  mouthful  after  mouthful 
in  their  feverish  eagerness  to  devour  all.  Quarrels,  brief  and 
sudden,  ended  in  a  loud  howl.  One  large  hound,  a  magnificent 
creature,  finding  himself  too  far  away  from  the  quarry,  stepped 
back  and  then  sprang  into  the  very  middle  of  the  pack.  He 
forced  his  way  through  the  others,  and  soon  gulped  down  a 
great  strip  of  the  stag's  entrails. 


vm 

EECALLED   TO   POWER 

Some  weeks  went  by.  Rougon  had  relapsed  into  his  life  of 
lassitude  and  ennui.  He  never  referred  to  the  Emperor's 
order  that  he  should  remain  in  Paris.  He  only  spoke  of  his 
disappointment  and  of  the  alleged  obstacles  which  stood  in 
the  way  of  his  clearing  some  portion  of  the  Landes.  Upon 
this  topic  he  talked  continually.  What  obstacles  could  there 
possibly  be  ?  he  asked.  For  his  part,  he  could  see  none.  Tie 
even  went  so  far  as  to  show  some  irritation  against  the 
Emperor,  from  whom  it  was  impossible,  he  complained,  to 
obtain  any  explanations.     Perhaps,  however,  his  Majesty  ft  It 


174  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

afraid  lest  he  should  be  obliged  to  come  forward  with  a  sub- 
vention for  the  proposed  expedition. 

As  the  days  went  by,  Clorinde's  visits  to  the  Rue  Marbeuf 
increased  in  frequency.  8he  seemed  every  afternoon  to  expect 
some  great  news  from  Rougon,  and  she  gazed  at  him  in  sur- 
prise on  finding  him  so  silent.  Ever  since  her  visit  to 
Compiegne  she  had  been  living  in  the  hope  of  a  sudden 
triumph.  She  had  pictured  a  series  of  dramatic  scenes  : 
furious  anger  on  the  part  of  the  Emperor,  M.  de  Marsy's  utter 
fall  and  disgrace,  and  the  great  man's  immediate  restoration 
to  power.  She  no  doubt  imagined  that  her  feminine  wiles 
would  have  this  result ;  and  so  her  astonishnipnt  Avas  un- 
bounded when,  at  the  end  of  a  month,  she  still  saw  the  Count 
in  office.  She  began  to  feel  contempt  for  the  Emperor,  who 
seemed  incapable  of  avenging  himself.  What  could  he  be 
thinking  about  in  the  everlasting  silence  he  preserved  ? 

However,  Clorinde  had  not  yet  abandoned  all  hope.  She 
had  an  intuition  that  some  unforeseen  turn  of  the  wheel  of 
chance  would  bring  round  the  triumph  she  desired,  for  M.  de 
Marsy's  influence  was  certainly  shaken.  Rougon  now  treated 
her  with  all  the  watchful  attention  of  a  jealous  husband.  Ever 
since  his  strange  outbreaks  at  Compiegne,  he  had  exercised  a 
most  fatherly  surveillance  over  her,  had  plied  her  with  moral 
dissertations,  and  expressed  his  desire  to  see  her  every  day.  The 
young  woman  smiled,  feeling  certain  now  that  he  would  not 
leave  Paris.  Towards  the  middle  of  December,  however,  after 
weeks  of  drowsy  listlessness,  he  again  reverted  to  his  great 
scheme.  He  had  consulted  some  bankers,  and  had  hopes  of 
doing  without  the  Emperor's  assistance.  And  once  more  he 
buried  himself  in  maps  and  plans  and  technical  treatises. 
Gilquin,  he  said,  had  already  enrolled  more  than  five  hundred 
workmen  who  vvere  willing  to  go  out  with  him.  They  would 
form  the  first  instalment  of  his  future  people.  At  this 
Clorinde,  feeling  quite  provoked,  again  set  the  whole  coterie 
of  friends  in  motion. 

It  was  a  tremendous  undertaking.  Each  of  them  took 
some  special  role ;  and  whispered  councils  were  held  in  the 
corners  of  Rougon's  own  •  drawing-room  on  Sunday  and 
Thursday  evenings.  They  portioned  out  the  various  difficult 
matters,  and  every  day  they  scattered  through  Paris,  invinc- 
ibly determined  upon  gaining  some  influence  or  other  to  their 
cause.  No  assistance  was  too  insignificant  for  their  accept- 
ance ;  the  most  trifling  help  might  be  useful.     They  availed 


RECALLED    TO  POWER  175 

themselves  of  everytliing,  they  drew  whatever  advantage  they 
could  from  the  most  trivial  incidents,  and  worked  and  worked 
from  the  first  thing  in  the  morning  until  the  last  thing  at 
night.  They  enlisted  their  friends  as  accomplices,  and  their 
friends  enhsted  others.  All  Paris  see^iied  to  share  in  the 
intrigue.  In  the  most  out-of-the-way  districts  people  began  to 
yearn  for  Rougon's  triumph,  without  bemg  able  to  say  why. 
The  little  band,  though  it  only  comprised  some  ten  or  twelve 
persons,  was  influencing  the  whole  city. 

'  "We  are  the  coming  government,'  said  Du  Poizat,  in  all 
seriousness ;  and,  establishing  a  parallel  between  themselves 
and  the  men  who  had  made  the  Second  Empire,  he  added  : 
'  I  shall  be  Rougon's  Marsy.' 

A  pretender  by  himself  was  a  mere  name.  A  band  of 
supporters  was  needed  to  establish  a  government.  Twenty 
stout  fellows  of  ambition  are  stronger  than  a  mere  principle, 
and  when  they  can  combine  a  principle  with  their  ambition 
they  become  invincible.  Such  were  Da  Poizat's  views.  He 
himself  spent  his  time  in  perambulating  Paris,  often  calling 
at  newspaper  offices,  where  he  smoked  his  cigar  and  did  what 
he  could  to  undermine  M.  de  Marsy's  reputation.  He  always 
had  some  secret  little  story  to  relate  about  the  minister,  whom 
he  accused  of  ingratitude  and  egotism.  Then,  when  he  had 
managed  to  bring  in  Rougon's  name,  he  would  drop  vague 
hints  and  promises  of  the  rewards  and  presents  and  subven- 
tions which  the  latter  would  shower  down  upon  every  one 
should  he  be  in  the  position  to  do  so.  In  this  way  Du  Poi- 
zat contrived  to  supply  numerous  suggestions,  anecdotes,  and 
quotations  to  the  newspapers,  which  continually  brought  the 
great  man  under  the  notice  of  the  public.  Two  journals  pub- 
lished an  account  of  a  visit  to  the  house  in  the  Rue  Marbeuf, 
and  others  spoke  of  Rougon's  famous  work  on  the  English 
constitution  and  that  of  1852.  Thus,  after  a  hostile  silence 
of  two  years,  a  murmur  of  eulogy  arose,  and  Rougon's  popu- 
larity seemed  to  be  reviving.  Du  Poizat,  too,  devoted  himself 
to  other  intrigues,  very  secret  ones,  such  as  the  purchase  of 
certain  persons'  suppoi't  by  a  kind  of  gambling  on  the 
prospects  of  Rougon's  return  to  office. 

'  Let  us  only  think  of  him,'  he  often  said,  with  that  frank- 
ness of  his  which  was  distasteful  to  the  more  affected  mem- 
bers of  the  band.     *  Later  on,  he  will  think  of  us.' 

M.  Beulin-d'Orchere  was  not  a  very  subtle  intriguer. 
When  he  unearthed  a  scandalous  affair  to  the  detriment  of 


176  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

M.  de  Marsy  it  was  immediately  hushed  up.  He  showed 
greater  shrewdness  in  hinting  that  he  might  very  well  become 
Minister  of  Justice  if  ever  his  brother-in-law  should  return  to 
power,  an  intimation  which  brought  all  his  brother  judges 
over  to  his  side.  M.«Kahn  meanwhile  had  put  himself  at  the 
head  of  another  company  of  auxiliaries,  financiers,  deputies, 
and  functionaries,  who  helped  to  swell  the  army  of  malcon- 
tents. He  had  a  docile  lieutenant  in  M.  Bejuin,  and  even 
availed  himself  of  the  services  of  M.  de  Combelot  and  M.  La 
Eouquette,  without  those  gentlemen  having  the  faintest  idea 
of  the  object  for  which  he  made  them  work.  For  his  part,  he 
acted  in  the  official  world,  even  its  highest  spheres,  carrying 
his  propaganda  into  the  Tuileries,  and  covertly  labouring  for 
days  at  a  time  in  order  that  some  remark  or  other  might  be 
repeated  from  mouth  to  mouth  till  it  reached  the  Emperor 
himself. 

But  it  was  the  women  who  manifested  the  most  passionate 
enthusiasm.  There  were  some  terribly  strange  underplots, 
some  complicated  intrigues  among  them,  whose  full  scope 
was  never  known.  Madame  Correur  began  to  call  pretty 
Madame  Bouchard  '  her  little  pet,'  and  took  her,  she  said,  on 
a  visit  to  the  country  ;  so  that  for  a  week  M.  Bouchard  was 
left  to  lead  a  bachelor's  life,  and  M.  d'Escorailles  had  to  spend 
his  evenings  at  the  minor  theatres.  Du  Poizat,  however,  met 
the  two  ladies  one  day  in  the  company  of  some  gentlemen 
who  wore  decorations,  but  he  said  nothing  about  having  done 
so.  Madame  Correur  now  rented  two  flats  :  one  in  the  Rue 
Blanche,  and  the  other  in  the  Rue  Mazarine.  The  latter  was 
very  elegantly  furnished,  and  Madame  Bouchard  would  go 
there  of  an  afternoon,  taking  the  key  from  the  doorkeeper  of 
the  house.  It  was  said  that  the  young  woman  had  made  an 
effectual  conquest  of  a  very  high  functionary. 

Then,  too,  the  minor  members  of  the  baud  bestirred  them- 
selves, doing  all  they  could.  Colonel  Jobelin  betook  himself 
regularly  to  a  cafe  on  the  boulevards  to  catch  his  old 
army  friends,  whom  he  catechised  between  their  games  of 
piquet ;  and  when  he  had  enlisted  the  sympathies  of  half  a 
dozen,  he  rubbed  his  hands  gleefully  in  the  evening  and 
declared  that  the  whole  army  had  joined  the  good  cause. 
M.  Bouchard  devoted  himself  to  a  like  task  in  the  govern- 
ment offices,  and  gradually  instilled  a  strong  feeling  of  enmity 
against  M.  de  Marsy  into  the  clerks.  He  even  won  over  the 
messengers,  and  made  the  whole  staff  sigh  for  the  golden  age 


RECALLED   TO  LOWER  177 

of  which  he  hinted  the  advent,  M.  d'Escorailles,  on  his  side, 
devoted  himself  to  the  wealthy  young  men  he  knew,  extolling 
Kougon's  broad  views,  his  tolerance  of  certain  misdemeanours, 
and  his  love  of  daring.  Even  the  Charbonnels,  as  they  sat 
on  the  benches  of  the  Luxembourg  garden,  whither  they 
went  each  afternoon  while  awaiting  the  issue  of  their  inter- 
minable lawsuit,  found  a  means  of  enlisting  the  sympathy 
and  support  of  the  petty  cits  residing  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  Odeon. 

Clorinde  was  not  content  with  being  the  guiding  spirit  of 
the  band,  but  engaged  in  very  elaborate  operations  of  her  own, 
of  which  she  never  spoke.  She  was  to  be  seen  more  fre- 
quently than  ever,  hurrying  through  streets  of  questionable 
repute,  carelessly  dressed  and  tightly  hugging  her  big  official- 
looking  portfolio,  which  was  now  so  split  at  the  seams  that  it 
was  only  kept  together  by  means  of  string.  She  also  gave 
her  husband  extraordinary  commissions  to  perform,  and  he 
did  her  bidding  with  the  docility  of  a  sheep,  never  seeking  to 
understand  her  even.  Then,  too,  she  sent  Luigi  Pozzo  about 
carrying  letters  ;  asked  M.  de  Plouguern  to  give  her  his  escort, 
and  then  kept  him  waiting  in  the  street  for  her  by  the  hour. 
At  one  moment  she  even  thought  of  getting  the  Italian 
government  to  interfere  in  Kougon's  favour.  Her  correspond- 
ence with  her  mother,  who  was  still  living  at  Turin,  had 
become  extremely  active.  She  had  dreams  of  turning  Europe 
topsy-turvy,  and  would  go  twice  a  day  to  Chevalier  Rusconi's 
to  meet  his  diplomatic  acquaintances.  In  this  strange  cam- 
paign of  hers,  she  also  frequently  remembered  her  beauty,  and 
would  go  out  on  certain  afternoons  most  superbly  arrayed. 
And  when  her  friends,  quite  surprised  by  the  change,  told  her 
that  she  looked  lovely,  '  I  have  need  to  be,'  she  replied,  wdth 
an  air  of  resigned  weariness. 

On  her  return  from  Compiegne,  Da  Poizat,  having  heard 
of  her  adventure  at  the  hunt,  had  tried  to  find  out  on  what 
terms  she  was  with  M.  de  Marsy.  He  had  some  vague  idea 
of  betraying  Rougon  in  favour  of  the  Count  were  Clorinde 
likely  to  become  the  latter's  all-powerful  mistress.  She,  how- 
ever, with  considerable  irritation,  denied  the  truth  of  any  such 
supposition.  He  must  think  her  very  silly  to  suspect  her  of 
such  a  connection,  she  said.  She  even  gave  him  to  under- 
stand that  she  should  never  see  M.  de  Marsy  again.  In  her 
earher  days  she  might  possibly  have  thought  of  becoming  hi3 
wife.     Now,  however,  she  had  other  schemes  in  her  head. 


178  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

'  There  are  often  many  ways  of  getting  at  what  you  want,' 
she  sometimes  said,  '  but  there  is  never  more  than  one  of 
them  that  is  pleasant.     I  myself  have  a  craving  to  satisfy.' 

When  she  said  this  she  would  keep  her  eyes  fixed  upon 
Rougon  as  though  she  dreamt  of  fattening  him  up  for  some 
future  feast  of  her  own.  She  still  displayed  a  disciple-like 
submission,  however,  and  kept  herself  in  the  background  with 
cajoling  humility.  Rougon  himself  seemed  quite  unconscious 
of  all  that  was  going  on  about  him.  In  his  drawing-room, 
on  Sundays  and  Thursdays,  he  still  consulted  playing  cards 
like  a  fortune-teller,  bending  over  them,  and  apparently 
hearing  nothing  of  the  talk  that  went  on  behind  him.  The 
members  of  the  band  discussed  his  affairs,  made  signs  to  each 
other  over  his  head,  and  plotted  by  his  fireside  as  though 
he  were  not  in  the  room.  He  seemed  so  unconcerned  with 
what  they  whispered  that  they  at  last  began  to  chat  in 
louder  tones,  smiling  at  his  absent-mindedness.  However, 
when  they  turned  the  conversation  upon  the  subject  of  his 
return  to  power  he  flew  into  a  tantrum,  and  swore  that  he 
would  not  move  even  if  he  knew  that  triumph  awaited  him 
at  the  end  of  the  street ;  and  indeed  he  shut  himself  up 
more  than  ever,  and  affected  absolute  ignorance  of  what  went 
on  in  the  world.  The  little  house  in  the  Rue  Marbeuf, 
whence  streamed  such  a  flow  of  feverish  propaganda,  was 
itself  a  silent,  drowsy  home,  on  the  threshold  of  which 
Rougon's  friends  cast  glances  at  one  another  as  a  warning 
to  leave  outside  the  scent  of  battle  which  they  carried  in 
the  folds  of  their  garments. 

Du  Poizat,  however,  would  exclaim :  *  I  tell  you  he's 
drawing  us  all  out.  He  listens  to  all  we  say.  Just  look  at 
his  ears  in  the  evening  ;  you  can  see  that  they  are  on  the 
strain.' 

This  was  frequently  the  subject  of  their  conversation 
when  they  went  away  together  at  half -past  ten.  It  really 
was  impossible,  they  said,  that  the  great  man  should  be 
unaware  of  their  devotion.  The  ex-sub-prefect  repeated  that 
he  was  playing  the  part  of  a  Hindoo  idol,  squatting  in  a 
state  of  self-satisfaction  with  his  hands  across  his  abdomen, 
and  smiling  unctuously  amidst  a  crowd  of  believers  who  cut 
themselves  to  pieces  in  his  worship.  And  the  others  allowed 
that  this  comparison  seemed  a  very  true  one. 

'  But  I  will  keep  my  eye  on  him,  you  may  depend  upon 
that,'  Du  Poizat  said  in  conclusion. 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  179 

However,  it  was  useless  to  study  Eougon's  face.  It 
remained  blank  and  unruffled,  almost  child-like.  Perhaps, 
after  all,  there  was  no  deception  about  his  appearance. 
Clorinde,  for  her  part,  much  preferred  that  he  should  remain 
inactive.  She  was  afraid  that  if  they  compelled  him  to  open 
his  eyes  he  might  thwart  their  plans.  They  were  working 
for  his  advancement;  in  spite  of  himself,  as  it  were.  By 
some  means  or  other,  forcibly  if  necessary,  they  meant  to 
thrust  him  into  a  position  of  high  autliority.  Then  they 
v\^ould  have  a  settlement. 

Still  matters  seemed  to  advance  very  slowly,  and  the 
band  began  to  grow  impatient.  Du  Poizat's  views  gained 
the  mastery.  They  did  not  openly  reproach  Eougon  with  all 
that  they  were  doing  for  him,  but  they  assailed  him  with 
allusions  and  hints.  The  colonel  would  sometimes  come  to 
the  evening  receptions  with  his  boots  white  with  dust.  He 
had  not  had  time  to  go  home  and  change  them,  he  said.  He 
was  quite  knocked  up  with  running  about  on  foolish  errands 
for  which  he  should  probably  never  get  any  thanks.  On 
other  evenings  M.  Kahn,  with  heavy  eyes,  complained  of  the 
late  hours  he  had  been  compelled  to  keep  for  a  month  past. 
He  was  going  a  great  deal  into  society,  he  said,  not  for  plea- 
sure, indeed,  but  because  it  enabled  him  to  meet  certain 
people  upon  certain  business.  Then  Madame  Correur  would 
relate  affecting  stories  ;  telling  them,  for  instance,  of  some 
poor  young  woman,  a  widow  of  the  highest  character,  whom 
she  visited,  but  was  now  unable  to  assist.  If  she  were  the 
government,  she  said,  she  would  take  good  care  to  prevent 
injustice.  Then  the  whole  coterie  would  vent  its  own 
sorrows  ;  each  would  lament  his  or  her  present  situation, 
and  compare  it  with  what  it  would  have  been  had  they  not 
behaved  in  the  foolish,  soft-hearted  way  they  had  done.  And 
all  these  endless  complaints  were  accentuated  by  meaning- 
glances  at  Eougon.  To  rouse  him  they  even  went  so  far  as 
to  praise  M.  de  Marsy.  At  first  Eougon  preserved  unruffled 
tranquillity.  He  still  showed  no  signs  of  understanding. 
But  after  a  few  evenings,  when  the  talk  was  of  this  kind, 
slight  twitchings  would  pass  over  his  face  at  certain  remarks 
made  in  his  presence.  He  expressed  no  annoyance,  but 
pressed  his  lips  together  as  though  he  were  pricked  by  some 
invisible  needle.  And  at  last  he  became  so  restless  and 
uneasy  that  he  gave  uj)  his  card-tricks.  He  could  no  longer 
accomplish   them  successfully,  and  preferred  to   pace  about 

jj3 


iSo  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

the  room,  talking,  and  suddenly  hastening  away  when  his 
friends  began  to  launch  veiled  reproaches  at  him.  Every 
now  and  then  he  would  turn  white  with  anger,  and  seem  to 
be  forcibly  holding  his  hands  behind  his  back  to  restrain 
himself  from  turning  the  whole  crew  out  of  doors. 

'  My  children,'  said  the  colonel  one  evening,  '  I  sha'n't 
come  here  again  for  a  fortnight.  It  will  be  good  for  us  to 
sulk  for  a  while  and  see  how  he  can  manage  to  amuse  him- 
self without  us.' 

Then  Kougon,  who  had  been  thinking  of  closing  his  doors, 
felt  very  much  hurt  at  the  way  in  which  he  was  abandoned. 
The  colonel  kept  his  word,  and  some  of  the  others  followed 
his  example.  The  drawing-room  looked  very  empty ;  there 
were  always  five  or  six  of  the  circle  absent.  When  one  of 
them  reappeared  after  a  prolonged  absence,  and  the  great 
man  asked  him  if  he  had  been  unwell,  the  other  merely 
answered  in  the  negative  with  an  air  of  surprise,  and  gave  no 
explanation.  One  Thursday  not  a  single  person  came. 
Kougon  spent  the  whole  evening  alone,  pacing  up  and  down 
the  big  room  with  his  hands  behind  him  and  his  head  bent. 
For  the  first  time  he  felt  the  strength  of  the  chain  which 
linked  him  to  his  band.  He  shrugged  his  shoulders  to  express 
his  contempt  for  the  stupidity  of  the  Charbonnels,  the 
envious  rage  of  Du  Poizat,  and  the  suspicious  affection  of 
Madame  Correur.  Nevertheless,  he  felt  a  craving,  the  jealous 
craving  of  a  master  secretly  pained  by  their  slightest  infideli- 
ties, to  see  and  rule  these  friends  of  his,  whom  he  held  in 
such  light  esteem.  Indeed  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart  he 
was  touched  by  their  foolish  behaviour  and  loved  their  faults. 
They  seemed  to  be  part  of  his  being,  so  that  he  felt 
diminished  and  incomplete  when  they  held  aloof  from  him. 
As  they  continued  to  absent  themselves  he  ended  by  writing 
to  them,  and  even  called  at  their  residences  to  make  peace 
with  them  after  serious  tiffs.  Life  at  the  house  in  the  Rue 
Marbeuf  was  now  so  much  chronic  quarrelling — a  series  of 
constantly  recurring  ruptures  and  recoiiciliations. 

Towards  the  end  of  December  there  was  a  particularly 
serious  defection.  One  evening,  without  anyone  quite  know- 
ing why,  one  bitter  remark  led  to  another,  and  it  all 
ended  by  a  very  angry  scene.  For  nearly  three  weeks  after- 
wards the  meetings  ceased.  The  truth  is  that  the  band  was 
beginning  to  lose  hope.  Their  most  earnest  efforts  seemed 
to   have   no   appreciable   result.     It  was   unlikely  that   the 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  i8i 

general  situation  would  change  for  a  long  time,  and  a  sudden 
catastrophe,  such  as  might  render  Eougon  necessary,  could 
hardly  be  anticipated.  They  had  anxiously  awaited  the 
opening  of  the  Corps  Legislatif,  but  this  had  gone  off  without 
any  other  incident  than  the  refusal  of  tAvo  republican  deputies 
to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance.  M.  Kahn,  who  was  the  shrewd 
man  of  the  group,  no  longer  hoped  for  any  advantage  from 
the  course  of  general  politics. 

Rougon,  in  his  weary  irritation,  was  occupying  himself 
more  energetically  than  ever  with  his  Landes  scheme,  as 
though  to  conceal  the  feverish  twitchings  of  his  face,  which 
he  could  no  longer  keep  placid  and  sleepy  as  formerly.  '  I 
don't  feel  very  well,'  he  sometimes  said.  '  My  hands  tremble. 
My  doctor  has  ordered  me  to  take  exercise.  I  am  out-of-doors 
all  day.'  He  did,  indeed,  go  out  a  great  deal  now,  and  was  to 
be  met  in  the  streets  with  his  hands  swinging  and  his  head 
in  the  air,  absorbed  in  thought.  When  anyone  stopped  and 
questioned  him  he  said  he  had  been  tramping  about  all  day. 

One  morning  when  he  returned  home  to  dejeuner,  after  a 
walk  in  the  direction  of  Chaillot,  he  found  a  gilt-edged  visit- 
ing-card awaiting  him,  on  which  was  written  Gilquin's  name. 
The  card  was  very  dirty,  and  bore  the  marks  of  greasy  fingers. 
Rougon  rang  for  his  servant.  '  Did  the  person  who  gave  you 
this  card  leave  any  message  ?  '  he  asked. 

The  servant,  who  was  new  to  the  house,  smiled.  *  It  was 
a  gentleman  in  a  green  overcoat,'  he  replied.  '  He  was  very 
pleasant  and  offered  me  a  cigar.  He  only  said  that  he  was  a 
friend  of  yours.'  However,  just  as  the  servant  was  leaving 
the  room  he  turned  and  added  :  '  I  think  there's  something 
written  on  the  back  of  the  card.'  Rougon  turned  it  over  and 
read  these  words  written  in  pencil :  '  Can't  wait.  Will  call 
again  this  evenmg.  Very  urgent  ;  a  strange  business.' 
Then  he  threw  down  the  card  with  a  careless  air.  After 
dejeuner,  however,  the  expression  '  Very  urgent ;  a  strange 
business,'  recurred  to  his  mind  and  haunted  him,  till  it  at  last 
rendered  him  quite  impatient.  What  could  this  '  strange 
business '  of  Gilquin's  be  ?  Since  Rougon  had  charged  the 
ex-commercial  traveller  with  sundry  obscure  and  intricate 
commissions  he  had  seen  him  regularly  once  a  week  in  the 
evening.  Never  before  had  Gilquin  called  in  the  morning,  so 
that  the  matter  in  hand  must  surely  be  something  out  of  the 
common.  Rougon,  quite  at  a  loss  to  guess  its  nature,  found 
himself  all  aglow  with  impatience,  and  although  he  could  not 


t82  bis  excellency 

help  feeling  that  it  was  ridiculous,  he  resolved  to  go  out  and 
try  to  discover  Gilquin  before  the  evening. 

'  Some  tipsy  story,  I  dare  say,'  he  reflected  as  he  went 
through  the  Champs  Elysees.  '  Well,  at  any  rate  I  shall 
satisfy  myself.' 

He  was  on  foot,  as  he  wished  to  carry  out  the  directions 
of  his  doctor.  It  was  a  lovely  day  ;  a  bright,  sunny  January 
noontide.  Gilquin  appeared  to  have  removed  from  the  Passage 
Guttin,  for  his  card  bore  the  address  Eue  Guisarde,  Faubourg 
Saint-Germain. 

Rougon  had  an  immense  amount  of  trouble  to  find  this 
filthy  street,  which  is  situated  near  Saint-Sulpice's.  At  the 
end  of  a  dark  passage  he  discovered  a  woman  lying  in  bed, 
who  called  out  to  him  in  a  voice  which  quavered  with  fever : 
'  Monsieur  Gilquin  !  I  don't  know  whether  he's  in.  It's  the 
door  on  the  left  on  the  fourth  floor,  right  up  at  the  top.' 

When  Rougon  reached  the  fourth  floor  he  saw  Gilquin's 
name  inscribed  on  the  door  amidst  some  arabesques  repre- 
senting flaming  hearts  transpierced  by  arrows.  However,  he 
knocked  to  no  purpose  ;  he  could  hear  nothing  but  the  tick- 
tack  of  a  cuckoo-clock  and  the  mewing  of  a  cat.  He  had 
expected  that  he  was  coming  on  a  vain  errand,  still  he  was 
glad  that  he  had  come.  His  walk  had  relieved  him.  So  he 
went  downstairs  again,  feeling  more  composed,  and  reflecting 
that  he  could  very  well  wait  till  the  evening.  When  he  got 
outside  he  slackened  his  steps,  crossed  the  Saint-Germain 
market,  and  then  went  down  the  Rue  de  Seine,  with  no 
definite  goal  in  view,  but  thinking  that  he  would  walk  home, 
although  he  already  felt  a  little  tired.  Then,  as  he  reached 
the  Rue  Jacob,  he  remembered  the  Charbonnels,  who  lived 
there.  He  had  not  seen  them  for  ten  days.  They  were 
sulking  with  him.  However,  he  r  'solved  to  call  on  them  for 
a  few  minutes  and  offer  them  his  hand.  The  afternoon  was 
so  warm  that  he  felt  quite  tender-h  -arted. 

The  Charbonnels'  room  at  the  Hotel  du  Perigord  over- 
looked the  yard,  a  gloomy  well  of  a  place  which  smelt  like  a 
dirty  sink.  It  was  a  large,  dark  roc  m,  with  rickety  mahogany 
furniture  and  curtains  of  faded  red  damask.  When  Rougon 
entered  it  Madame  Charbonnel  was  folding  up  her  dresses 
and  laying  them  in  a  big  trunk,  while  her  husband  perspired 
and  strained  his  arms  in  cording  another  trunk,  a  smaller 
one. 

'  Halloa  !  are  you  off  ? '  Rougon  asked,  with  a  smile. 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  183 

'Yes,  indeed,'  answered  Madame  Charbonnel,  drawing  a 
deep  sigh.     '  This  time  we've  quite  made  up  our  minds.' 

However,  they  gave  him  a  hearty  welcome,  apparently 
quite  flattered  at  seeing  him  in  their  room.  All  tlae  chairs 
were  littered  with  clothes,  bundles  of  linen,  and  baskets  with 
splitting  sides.  So  Eougon  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  the  bed. 
'  Oh,  don't  trouble  yourselves  !  '  he  said,  good-naturedly ; 
'  I'm  very  comfortable  here.  Go  on  with  what  you're  doing  ; 
I  don't  want  to  disturb  you.  Are  you  going  by  the  eight 
o'clock  train  ?  ' 

'  Yes,  by  the  eight  o'clock  train,'  M.  Charbonnel  replied. 
'  That  gives  us  just  six  more  hours  to  spend  in  this  beastly 
Paris.  Ah  !  we  sha'n't  forget  it  in  a  hurry,  Monsieur 
Rougon ! ' 

Then  he,  who  generally  spoke  so  little,  launched  into  a 
flow  of  bitter  invective,  and  even  shook  his  fist  at  the  window 
while  declaiming  against  the  horrid  city,  where  one  actually 
couldn't  see  clearly  in  one's  room  at  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. That  dirty  light  which  filtered  in  through  that  narrow 
well  of  a  yard  was  Paris  !  But,  thank  Heaven,  he  was  going 
to  see  the  sun  again  in  his  garden  at  Plassans  !  Then  he 
looked  round  to  make  sure  that  he  was  forgetting  nothing. 
He  had  bought  a  railway  time-table  in  the  morning,  and  he 
pointed  to  a  cold  roast  fowl  wrapt  in  some  greasy  paper,  which 
they  meant  to  take  with  them  to  eat  on  their  journey. 

'  Have  you  emptied  everything  out  of  the  drawers,  my 
dear  ?  '  he  asked.  '  My  slippers  were  in  the  night-table.  I 
think,  too,  that  some  papers  fell  behind  the  chest  of  drawers.' 

Rougon  felt  pained  as  he  watched  the  preparations  of 
these  disconsolate  old  folks,  whose  hands  trembled  as  they 
made  up  their  packages.  Their  emotion  seemed  to  him  like 
a  silent  reproach.  It  was  he  who  had  kept  them  in  Paris, 
and  their  sojourn  there  was  ending  in  complete  failure, 
a  veritable  flight. 

'  You  are  making  a  mistake,'  he  said  at  last. 

But  Madame  Charbonnel  answered  with  a  gesture  of 
entreaty  as  if  to  beseech  him  to  be  silent.  '  Don't  make  us 
any  promises.  Monsieur  Rougon,'  she  said  sharply.  '  They 
could  only  bring  all  our  unhappiness  over  again.  When  I 
think  that  we've  been  here  for  two  years  and  a  half !  Two 
years  and  a  half,  good  heavens,  in  this  hole  of  a  place  !  My 
left  leg  will  never  be  free  from  pain  agam  as  long  as  I  Uve.  I 
have  slept  on  the  far  side  of  the  bed,  and  that  wall  behind 


T§4  ^IS  EXCELLENCY 

you  fairly  streams  with  water  at  night.  Oh,  I  couldn't  tell 
you  all  we've  gone  through  !  It  would  be  too  long  a  story. 
And  we've  spent  a  ruinous  amount  of  money  !  Only  yester- 
day I  was  obliged  to  buy  this  big  trunk  to  carry  away  the 
things  we  have  worn  out  while  we  have  been  in  Paris  ;  the 
wretchedly  sewn  clothes,  which  the  shopkeepers  charged  us 
most  extortion ately  for,  and  the  linen  which  came  back  from 
the  laundress's  in  rags.  Ah  !  I  sha'n't  be  sorry  to  have  seen 
the  last  of  your  laundresses !  They  ruin  everything  with 
their  acids.' 

Then  she  threw  a  bundle  of  things  into  the  trunk,  and 
exclaimed :  '  No,  this  time  we  are  certainly  going,  I  think 
it  would  kill  me  to  stay  here  an  hour  longer.' 

Eougon,  however,  insisted  upon  talking  about  their  law- 
suit. Had  they  had  any  bad  news  ?  he  asked.  Then  the 
Charbonnels  told  him,  almost  crying  as  they  did  so,  that  the 
property  of  their  cousin  Chevassu  was  certainly  lost  to  them. 
The  Council  of  State  was  on  the  point  of  authorising  the 
Sisters  of  the  Holy  Family  to  receive  the  legacy  of  five 
hundred  thousand  francs.  Their  last  remaining  hope  had 
expired  on  hearing  of  the  arrival  of  Monseigneur  Rochart  in 
Paris,  whither  he  had  come,  for  the  second  time,  to  hurry  the 
matter  forward. 

And  all  at  once  M.  Charbonnel  ceased  to  struggle  with  the 
cords  of  the  smaller  trunk  and  raised  his  arms  convulsively, 
while  crying  in  a  broken  voice :  '  Five  hundred  thousand 
francs  !     Five  hundred  thousand  francs  ! ' 

They  both  seemed  overwhelmed.  They  sat  down,  the 
husband  on  the  trunk  and  the  wife  on  a  bundle  of  linen, 
amidst  all  the  litter  of  the  room.  And  they  began  to  pity 
themselves  in  a  mournful  strain  ;  as  soon  as  one  stopped  the 
other  began.  They  recalled  their  affection  for  their  cousin 
Chevassu.  How  fond  they  had  been  of  him  !  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  they  had  not  seen  him  for  more  than  seventeen  years 
before  his  death.  But,  just  now,  they  wept  over  him  in  all 
good  faith,  and  really  believed  that  they  had  shown  him  every 
kind  attention  during  his  illness.  Then  they  began  to  accuse 
the  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Family  of  disgraceful  scheming. 
They  had  brought  undue  influence  to  bear  on  cousin  Chevassu, 
they  had  kept  him  from  his  friends,  and  had  exerted  constant 
pressure  on  his  mind,  which  illness  had  weakened.  Madame 
Charbonnel,  though  she  was  really  a  very  devout  woman, 
went  so  far  as  to  relate  a  dreadful  story,  according  to  which 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  185 

cousin  Chevassu  had  died  of  fright  after  signing  his  will  at 
the  dictation  of  a  priest,  who  had  shewn  him  the  devil  stand- 
ing at  the  foot  of  his  bed.  And  as  for  the  Bishop  of  Fave- 
rolles,  she  said,  it  was  a  dirty  part  that  he  was  playing,  in 
despoiling  a  couple  of  honest  people,  who  were  esteemed 
throughout  Plassans  for  the  integrity  they  had  shown  in 
getting  a  little  competency  together  in  the  oil  trade. 

'  But  perhaps  the  case  isn't  hopeless  yet,'  said  Eougon, 
seeing  that  they  were  wavering.  '  Monseigneur  Rochart  isn't 
the  Divinity.  I  myself  haven't  been  able  to  do  anything  for 
you  lately  ;  I've  had  so  much  else  to  occupy  me.  But  let  me 
find  out  exactly  how  matters  stand.  I  don't  mean  to  let 
them  prey  on  us.' 

The  Charbonnels  looked  at  each  other  and  shrugged  their 
shoulders.  '  It's  really  no  use  troubling  about  it,  Monsieur 
Eougon,'  murmured  the  husband. 

And  as  Eougon  persisted,  swearing  that  he  would  make 
every  effort  in  their  favour,  and  could  not  let  them  go  ofi'  in 
this  way,  the  wife  in  her  turn  said  :  '  It's  really  no  use  your 
troubhng  yourself  about  it.  You  would  only  give  yourself  a 
lot  of  bother  for  nothing.  We  spoke  of  you  to  our  lawyer,  but 
he  only  laughed  at  us,  and  said  you  had  no  power  now  against 
Monseigneur  Eochart.' 

'And  if  you've  no  power,  what's  the  good  of  troubhng 
yourself '? '  asked  M.  Charbonnel.  '  We  had  much  better  give 
it  up.' 

Eougon  had  bent  his  head.  These  remarks  cut  him  hke 
lashes.  Never  before  had  his  powerlessness  brought  him  such 
cruel  pain. 

'  No  ;  we  are  going  back  to  Plassans,'  continued  Madame 
Charbonnel.  '  It  is  much  the  wisest  thing  to  do.  But  we  are 
not  going  away  with  any  grudge  against  you,  Monsieur 
Eougon  !  When  we  see  Madame  Felicite,  your  mother,  we 
shall  tell  her  that  you  would  have  cut  yourself  in  pieces  for 
us.  And  if  anyone  else  questions  us  you  may  be  sure  that 
we  sha'n't  say  a  word  against  you.  Nobody  can  be  expected 
to  do  more  than  he's  able,  can  he  ? ' 

This  was  the  last  stroke.  Eougon  pictured  the  Char- 
bonnels reaching  their  distant  home  in  the  provinces.  As  soon 
as  they  had  told  their  news  the  little  town  would  be  yelping  at 
him.  It  would  be  a  personal  defeat,  from  which  it  would 
take  him  years  to  recover. 

'  But  you  must  stay  here  ! '  he  exclaimed.     '  I  will  have 


t86  his  excellency 

you  stay.  We  will  see  if  Monseigneur  Rochart  can  gobble  me 
up  at  a  mouthful  !  ' 

He  broke  into  a  threatening  laugh  which  quite  alarmed 
the  Charbonnels.  They  continued  to  resist  for  some  time, 
and  then  at  last  consented  to  remain  in  Paris  for  another 
week,  but  not  a  single  day  longer.  And  thereupon  M.  Char- 
bonnel  began  to  unknot  the  cords  which  he  had  fastened 
about  the  smaller  trunk,  and  his  wife  lighted  a  candle, 
although  it  was  scarcely  three  o'clock,  in  order  that  she  might 
see  to  put  the  linen  and  clothes  in  the  drawers  again.  When 
Rougon  left  them  he  pressed  their  hands  affectionately  and 
renewed  his  promises  to  do  all  he  could. 

Before  he  had  gone  ten  yards  down  the  street,  however, 
he  already  began  to  repent  of  what  he  had  done.  Why  had 
he  persuaded  the  Charbonnels  to  stay  when  they  were  so 
anxious  to  be  off?  It  would  have  been  a  first-rate  opportunity 
to  get  rid  of  them.  And  now  he  was  more  committed  than 
ever  to  bring  about  a  successful  issue  of  their  suit.  He  was 
especially  vexed  with  himself  for  the  motives  of  vanity  which, 
as  he  realised,  had  influenced  him.  They  seemed  unworthy 
of  a  man  of  strength.  However,  he  had  promised,  and  must 
do  what  he  could.  Thus  thinking  he  went  down  the  Rue 
Bonaparte,  followed  the  quay,  and  then  crossed  the  Saints- 
Peres  bridge. 

The  weather  was  still  mild,  but  a  rather  sharp  breeze  was 
blowing  along  the  river.  Rougon  was  half-way  across  and 
was  buttoning  his  coat  when  he  saw  a  stout  lady  in  furs 
immediately  in  front  of  him.  It  was  Madame  Correur ;  he 
recognised  her  by  her  voice. 

'  Ah !  is  it  you  ?  '  she  said  in  a  mournful  tone.  '  Well,  as 
I've  met  you  I'll  shake  hands  with  you  ;  but  you  wouldn't 
have  seen  me  at  your  house  for  another  week.  You  haven't 
been  acting  like  a  friend.' 

Then  she  began  to  reproach  him  for  not  having  made  an 
application  which  she  had  been  asking  of  him  for  months  past. 
It  was  still  the  case  of  that  Mademoiselle  Herminie  Billecoq, 
a  former  pupil  of  Saint  Denis,  whom  her  seducer,  an  officer, 
was  willing  to  marry,  if  some  good  soul  would  only  give  her 
the  regulation  dowry.  Then,  too,  added  Madame  Correur,  the 
other  ladies  gave  her  no  peace.  The  widow  Leturc  was 
anxiously  waiting  for  her  tobacco  shop,  and  the  others, 
Madame  Chardon,  Madame  Testaniere,  and  Madame  Jalaguier, 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  187 

called  on  her  every  day  to  relate  their  woes  and  remind  her  of 
the  promises  she  had  made  them. 

'  I  was  counting  upon  you  when  I  made  them,'  she  said,  in 
conclusion.  '  Oh,  you've  left  me  in  a  nice  hole  !  Well,  I'm 
now  on  my  way  to  ask  the  Minister  of  Public  Instruction 
for  a  scholarship  for  little  Jalaguier.  You  promised  me  that 
scholarship,  you  know.' 

She  heaved  a  deep  sigh  as  she  continued  :  '  We  are  obliged 
to  go  tramping  about  all  over  the  place  now  that  you  refuse 
to  do  anything  for  us.' 

Eougon,  whom  the  wind  was  slightly  inconveniencing, 
had  bent  his  shoulders  and  begun  to  look  at  the  Port  Saint 
Nicholas  below  the  bridge.  As  he  listened  to  Madame 
Correur  he  watched  some  men  unloading  a  barge  laden  with 
sugar-loaves,  which  they  rolled  down  a  gangway  formed  of  a 
couple  of  planks.  A  crowd  of  three  hundred  people  or  so  was 
viewing  the  operation  from  the  quays. 

'  I  am  nobody  now,  and  I  can  do  nothing,'  said  the  great 
man.     '  It  is  wrong  of  you  to  feel  a  grudge  against  me.' 

'  Stufi'  and  nonsense  ! '  replied  Madame  Correur  scoffingly ; 
'  I  know  you  well  enough.  Whenever  you  choose  you  can  be 
what  you  like.     Don't  be  a  humbug,  Eugene  !  ' 

Rougon  could  not  help  smiling.  The  familiarity  shown  by 
Madame  Melanie,  as  he  had  called  her  in  former  days,  brought 
back  recollections  of  the  Hotel  Vanneau,  when  he  had  no 
boots  even  to  his  feet,  but  was  conquering  France.  He  forgot 
all  the  reproaches  which  he  had  addressed  to  himself  on 
leaving  the  Charbonnels.  '  Well,  well,'  he  said,  good- 
naturedly,  '  what  is  it  you  have  to  tell  me  ?  But  don't  let  us 
stand  here.  It's  almost  freezing.  As  you  are  going  to  the 
Rue  de  Grenelle  I  will  walk  with  you  to  the  end  of  the 
bridge.' 

Then  he  turned  and  walked  along  beside  Madame  Correur, 
without,  however,  offering  her  his  arm ;  and  the  lady  began 
to  tell  him  her  troubles  at  great  length.  '  After  all,'  said  she, 
'  I  don't  so  much  mind  about  the  others.  Those  ladies  can 
very  well  wait.  I  shouldn't  bother  you,  I  should  be  as  merry 
as  I  used  to  be — you  i-emember,  don't  you  ? — if  I  hadn't  such 
big  troubles  of  my  own.  One  can't  help  getting  bitter  over 
them.  I'm  still  dreadfully  bothered  about  my  brother.  Poor 
Martineau  !  His  wife  has  made  him  completely  mad ;  he  has 
no  feelings  left.' 

Then  she  gave  a  minute  account  of  a  fresh  attempt  at 


1 88  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

reconciliation  which  she  had  made  during  the  previous  week. 
In  order,  said  she,  to  find  out  exactly  what  her  brother's 
disposition  towards  her  might  be,  she  had  sent  him  as 
ambassador  one  of  her  friends,  that  very  Herminie  Billecoq, 
whose  marriage  she  had  been  trying  to  effect  for  the  last 
two  years. 

'  Her  travelling  expenses  cost  me  a  hundred  and  seventeen 
francs,'  she  continued.  '  But  how  do  you  think  they  received 
her  ?  Why,  Madame  Martineau  sprang  between  her  and  my 
brother,  foaming  at  the  mouth  and  crying  out  that  I  was 
sending  a  crew  of  street-walkers  to  them,  and  that  she  would 
have  them  arrested  by  the  gendarmes.  My  poor  Herminie 
was  still  in  such  a  tremble  when  I  met  her  on  her  return  at 
the  Montparnasse  station  that  we  were  obliged  to  go  into  a 
caf6  and  drink  something.' 

They  had  now  reached  the  end  of  the  bridge.  The 
passers-by  were  jostling  them.  Eougon  tried  to  console 
Madame  Correur,  thinking  of  all  the  kind  things  that  he 
could  say.  '  It's  extremely  annoying.  But,  you'll  see,  your 
brother  will  make  it  up  with  you  by-and-bye.  Time  puts 
everything  straight.' 

Then,  as  she  still  detained  him  at  the  corner  of  the  foot- 
way, amidst  the  uproar  of  the  passing  vehicles,  he  slowly 
walked  up  the  bridge  again,  she-  following  and  saying  :  '  When 
Martineau  dies,  his  wife  is  quite  capable  of  burning  any  will 
he  may  leave  behind  him.  The  poor,  dear  fellow  is  nothing 
more  than  skin  and  bones.  Herminie  says  that  he  looks 
dreadfully  ill.     I  am  terribly  bothered  about  it  all.' 

*  Well,  you  can  do  nothing  now,'  said  Kougon,  with  a 
vague  gesture  ;  '  you  must  wait.' 

However,  she  stopped  him  again  when  he  was  half- 
way across  the  bridge,  and,  lowering  her  voice,  continued  : 
'  Herminie  told  me  a  strange  thing.  It  seems  that  Martineau 
has  goiie  in  for  politics  now.  He  is  a  Republican.  At  the  last 
elections  he  threw  the  whole  neighbourhood  into  excitement. 
That  news  gave  me  quite  a  shock.  He  might  get  into 
trouble,  eh?' 

There  was  a  short  pause,  during  which  Madame  Correur 
looked  searchingly  at  Rougon.  He  had  glanced  at  a  passing 
carriage  as  though  he  wished  to  avoid  her  gaze.  Then,  with 
an  innocent  air,  he  responded :  '  Oh,  don't  make  yourself 
uneasy.  You  have  friends,  haven't  you  ?  Well,  rely  on 
them.' 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  189 

'  You  are  the  only  person  I  rely  on,  Eugene,'  she  replied  in 
a  low,  tender  voice. 

At  this  Rougon  seemed  moved.  He  glanced  at  her,  and 
was  stirred  by  the  sight  of  her  plump  neck  and  painted  face, 
which  she  struggled  to  keep  beautiful.  She  personified  his 
youth.  '  Yes,  rely  on  me,'  he  said,  pressing  her  hands.  '  You 
know  very  well  that  I  am  always  on  your  side.' 

He  again  accompanied  her  as  far  as  the  Quai  Voltaire. 
And  when  she  had  left  him  he  at  last  made  his  way  across  the 
bridge,  slackening  his  steps  as  he  went  in  order  to  watch  the 
landing  of  the  sugar-loaves  at  the  Port  Saint-Nicholas.  For  a 
moment  even  he  halted  and  let  his  elbows  rest  on  the  parapet. 
But  the  sugar-loaves  rolling  down  the  gangway,  the  greenis-h 
water  flowing  beneath  the  arches  of  the  bridge,  the  crowd 
of  idlers  and  the  houses  all  soon  grew  hazy  and  disappeared, 
and  he  fell  into  a  reverie.  He  became  absorbed  in  dim, 
strange  thoughts ;  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  were  descending 
with  Madame  Correur  into  some  black  abyss  of  human 
iniquity.  However,  he  felt  no  regrets,  no  qualms  ;  he  dreamt 
of  becoming  very  great  and  very  powerful,  so  that  he  might 
satisfy  the  desires  of  those  about  him  to  an  extent  unnatural 
— even,  as  it  were,  impossible. 

A  shiver  roused  him  from  his  quiescence.  He  was 
trembling  with  cold.  The  night  was  falling  and  the  breeze 
from  the  river  was  stirring  up  cloudlets  of  white  dust  on  the 
quays.  He  felt  very  tired  as  he  made  his  way  alongside  the 
Tuileries,  and  suddenly  lacked  the  courage  to  return  home  on 
foot.  All  the  passing  cabs  were  full,  however,  and  he  had 
almost  relinquished  the  hope  of  securing  one  when  he  saw  a 
driver  pull  up  his  horse  just  in  front  of  him.  A  head  was 
thrust  out  of  the  window  of  the  vehicle.  It  was  M.  Kahn's. 
'  I  was  just  going  to  your  house.  Get  in.  I  will  drive  you 
home,  and  we  can  talk  as  we  go.' 

Rougon  got  into  the  cab,  and  was  scarcely  seated  before 
the  ex-deputy  burst  into  tempestuous  words  amidst  the  jolting 
of  the  vehicle  as  its  horse  went  on  at  a  sleepy  trot :  '  Ah,  my 
friend,'  said  M.  Kahn,  '  I  have  just  had  such  a  proposal  made 
to  me  !  You  would  never  be  able  to  guess  it !  I  feel  as 
though  I  were  choking ! '  Then  he  lowered  one  of  the 
windows,  adding  :  '  You  have  no  objection,  have  you  ?  ' 

Rougon  lay  back  in  a  corner  of  the  cab,  watching  the 
grey  wall  of  the  Tuileries  gardens  ;  while  ^I.  Kahn,  very  red  in 
the  face,  and  gesticulating  spasmodically,  continued :  '  I  have 


1 90  BIS  EXCELLENCY 

been  following  your  advice,  you  know.  For  the  last  two 
years  I  have  been  struggling  persistently.  I  have  seen  the 
Emperor  three  times,  and  I  have  reached  my  fourth  petition 
on  the  subject.  If  I  haven't  succeeded  in  getting  the  railway 
grant  for  myself,  I  have,  at  any  rate,  prevented  Marsy  from 
getting  it  for  the  Western  Company.  Briefly,  1  manoeuvred 
so  as  to  keep  matters  at  a  standstill  till  we  should  be  the 
stronger  party  again,  as  you  advised  me  to  do.' 

He  stopped  for  a  moment,  as  his  voice  was  drowned  by 
the  dreadful  clatter  made  by  a  passing  cart  laden  with  iron. 
When  the  cab  had  got  clear  of  this  cart  he  continued  :  '  Well, 
just  now,  while  I  was  sitting  in  my  study,  a  man  whom  I 
don't  know,  but  who  is  a  big  contractor,  it  appears,  called  on 
me  and  calmly  proposed,  in  the  name  of  Marsy  and  the 
directors  of  the  Western  Railway  Company,  that  if  I  would 
make  a  million  francs'  worth  of  shares  over  to  those  gentle- 
men I  should  be  granted  the  necessary  authorisation  for  my 
line.     What  do  you  think  of  that  ?  ' 

'  The  terms  are  a  little  high,'  said  Rougon,  with  a  smile. 

M.  Kahn  jerked  his  head  and  crossed  his  arms. 

'  Oh,  you've  no  idea  of  the  coolness  of  these  people,'  he 
continued.  '  You  ought  to  have  heard  the  whole  of  my  con- 
versation with  the  contractor.  In  consideration  of  the  million's 
worth  of  shares  Marsy  undertakes  to  support  me,  and  to  bring 
my  claim  to  a  successful  issue  within  a  month's  time.  When 
I  began  to  speak  of  the  Emperor  the  contractor  only  laughed, 
and  told  me  plumply  that  if  the  Emperor  was  my  support  I 
might  as  well  give  the  whole  thing  up  at  once.' 

The  cab  was  now  turning  into  the  Place  de  la  Concorde, 
and  Rougon  emerged  from  his  corner  with  a  bright  colour  on 
his  cheeks,  as  if  suddenly  warmed.  '  And  did  you  show  this 
fine  gentleman  the  door  ?  '  he  asked. 

The  ex-deputy  did  not  immediately  answer,  but  looked  at 
him  with  an  expression  of  great  surprise.  M.  Kahn's  anger 
had  abruptly  subsided.  For  a  while  he  lay  back  in  his  corner 
of  the  cab  and  yielded  to  the  jolts.  Then  he  muttered  :  '  Ah, 
no  ;  one  doesn't  show  people  like  that  to  the  door  without  a 
little  reflection.  And,  besides,  I  wanted  to  take  your  advice. 
For  my  own  part,  I  confess  I  am  inclined  to  accept  the 
offer.' 

'  Never,  Kahn  ! '  cried  Rougon  hotly.     '  Never ! ' 

Then  they  began  to  discuss  the  matter.  M.  Kahn  quoted 
figures.     No  doubt,  said  he,  a  commission  of  a  million  francs 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  191 

was  an  enormous  one,  but  he  showed  that  it  might  easily  be 
balanced  by  following  certain  methods.  Eougou,  however, 
refused  to  listen,  and  waved  his  hand  to  silence  him.  He 
himself  held  money  in  little  account ;  if  he  was  miwilling 
that  Marsy  should  pocket  a  million  it  was  because  the  gift  of 
that  million  would  be  a  confession  of  his  own  powerlessness, 
an  acknowledgment  that  he  himself  was  beaten,  and  that  the 
influence  of  his  rival  was  so  much  greater  than  his  own  that 
it  might  really  be  priced  at  that  exorbitant  figure. 

'  Can't  you  see  that  Marsy  is  getting  tired  of  the  struggle  1  ' 
said  he.  '  He's  coming  round.  Wait  a  little  longer  and  we 
shall  get  the  grant  for  nothing.'  Then,  in  almost  threaten- 
ing tones,  he  added  :  '  I  warn  you  that  we  shall  quarrel  if 
you  accept.  I  cannot  allow  a  friend  of  mine  to  be  fleeced  in 
that  manner.' 

A  pause  followed.  The  cab  was  now  ascending  the 
Champs  Elysees.  Both  men,  wrapped  in  thought,  looked  as 
though  they  were  counting  the  trees  in  the  side  avenues. 
M.  Kahn  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence.  '  Listen  to  me 
now,'  he  said  in  a  low  tone.  '  I  ask  nothing  better  than  to 
keep  on  with  you,  but  you  must  acknowledge  that  for  the  last 
two  years ' 

Then  he  stopped  ;  and,  instead  of  finishing  the  sentence 
he  had  begun,  he  gave  another  turn  to  his  answer  :  '  Well,  it 
isn't  your  fault.  Just  now  your  hands  are  tied.  We  had 
better  give  them  the  million  ;  believe  me,  we  had.' 

'  Never  !  '  cried  Eougon  energetically.  '  In  a  fortnight 
you  shall  have  your  grant ;  in  a  fortnight,  do  you  hear 
me  ?  ' 

The  cab  had  just  stopped  in  front  of  the  little  house  in 
the  Rue  Marbeuf.  Neither  of  them  alighted,  however.  For 
some  moments  they  continued  talking  inside  the  vehicle, 
as  though  comfortably  ensconced  in  their  own  home,  M. 
Bouchard  and  Colonel  Jobelin  were  coming  to  dine  that 
evening  with  Rougon,  and  he  pressed  M.  Kahn  to  join  them  ; 
but  the  other,  to  his  great  regret,  he  said,  was  obliged  to 
decline  the  invitation,  as  he  was  engaged  elsewhere.  The 
great  man  was  now  enthusiastically  determined  upon  obtain- 
ing the  railway  grant.  When  he  at  length  ahghted  from  the 
cab  he  closed  the  door  in  a  friendly  way  and  gave  the  ex- 
deputy  a  parting  nod. 

'  Till  next  Thursday,  then  ? '  cried  the  latter,  thrusting 
his  head  out  of  the  window  as  the  cab  drove  off, 


192  JUS  EXCELLENCY 

Rougon  was  feeling  slightly  feverish  on  his  return.  He 
could  not  even  read  the  evenmg  papers.  Although  it  waa 
scarcely  five  o'clock,  he  went  straight  to  the  drawing-room 
and  began  to  walk  up  and  down  while  waiting  for  his  guests. 
The  first  sunshine  of  the  year,  though  it  was  only  a  pale 
January  sunshine,  had  given  him  a  touch  of  headache.  His 
afternoon  had  left  a  very  vivid  impression  upon  him.  All 
his  friends  rose  before  him  :  those  whom  he  put  up  with, 
those  of  whom  he  felt  afraid,  and  those  for  whom  he  had  a 
genuine  affection.  They  all  seemed  to  be  goading  him  on, 
forcing  him  to  some  decisive  step.  And  this  did  not  dis- 
please him ;  he  felt  that  their  impatience  was  reasonable, 
and  he  realised  that  an  anger  akin  to  their  own  was  rising  up 
within  himself.  It  was  as  though  the  ground  in  front  of  him 
had  gradually  diminished,  as  if  the  time  was  near  when  he 
would  be  compelled  to  make  a  formidable  leap. 

Then  he  suddenly  thought  of  Gilquin,  whom  he  had 
entirely  forgotten.  He  rang  for  his  servant  to  ask  if  '  the 
gentleman  in  the  green  overcoat '  had  called  again  during 
his  absence.  But  the  servant  had  seen  no  one.  Then 
Rougon  told  him  that  if  Gilquin  should  call  during  the 
evening  he  was  to  be  shown  into  his  study.  '  And  you  will 
let  me  know  immediately,'  he  added,  '  even  if  we  are  at 
table.' 

His  curiosity  was  again  roused,  and  he  went  to  look  for 
Gilquin' s  card.  He  read  the  inscription,  *  Very  urgent ;  a 
strange  business,'  several  times  over,  without  managing  to 
make  anything  of  it.  When  M.  Bouchard  and  the  colonel 
arrived  he  slipped  the  card  into  his  pocket,  feeling  disturbed, 
even  irritated,  by  those  words,  which  kept  buzzing  in  his 
brain. 

The  dinner  was  a  very  plain  one.  M.  Bouchard  had  been 
a  bachelor  for  the  last  two  days,  his  wife  having  had  to  go 
into  the  provinces  on  a  visit  to  a  sick  aunt,  of  whom, 
strangely  enough,  she  had  never  previously  spoken.  The 
colonel,  for  whom  there  was  always  a  cover  laid  at  Rougon's 
table,  had  that  evening  brought  his  son,  whose  holidays  were 
on  just  then.  Madame  Rougon  did  the  honours  in  her 
kindly  silent  fashion.  Under  her  ever  -  vigilant  eyes  the 
repast  was  served,  slowly,  but  most  carefully,  and  without 
the  slightest  noise.  The  conversation  turned  upon  the 
subjects  of  study  in  the  public  schools.  The  chief  clerk 
quoted  some  lines  from  Horace,  and  spoke  of  the  prizes  he 


RECALLED    TO  POWER  193 

had  gained  in  the  examinations,  about  1813.  The  colonel 
said  he  would  have  liked  a  more  military  form  of  discipline 
among  the  pupils  ;  and  then  he  went  on  to  explain  why 
Auguste  had  failed  in  his  examination  for  a  bachelor's  degree 
in  November.  The  youth  had  such  a  lively  intelligence,  he 
said,  that  he  always  went  beyond  the  questions  asked  by  the 
examiners,  and  this  had  annoyed  them.  While  his  father 
was  thus  explaining  his  failure,  Auguste  himself  was  eating 
some  fowl,  with  a  sly  smile  on  his  beaming  dunce's  face. 

They  were  at  dessert,  when  the  sound  of  a  bell  in  the  hall 
caused  Rougon  the  greatest  emotion,  and  quite  distracted  his 
attention  from  his  guests.  He  felt  sure  that  the  ring  was 
Gilquin's,  and  sharply  raised  his  eyes  to  the  door,  already 
mechanically  folding  up  his  napkin  in  the  expectation  of  being 
summoned  from  the  room.  But  when  the  door  opened,  it  was 
Du  Poizat  who  appeared.  The  ex-sub- prefect  dropped  into  a 
chair  at  a  few  feet  from  the  table,  as  though  he  were  quite  at 
home.  He  often  called  like  this  early  in  the  evening,  imme- 
diately after  his  dinner,  which  he  took  at  a  little  boarding- 
house  in  the  Faubourg  Saint  Honore. 

'  I'm  quite  done  up,'  he  said,  without  giving  any  particulars 
of  the  intricate  business  which  he  had  been  transacting  during 
the  afternoon.  '  I  should  have  gone  straight  to  bed,  but  I  felt 
an  inclination  to  come  and  glance  over  the  papers.  They  are 
in  your  room,  I  suppose,  Rougon,  aren't  they  ?  ' 

He  stayed  where  he  was,  however,  and  accepted  a  pear 
and  half  a  glass  of  wine.  The  conversation  then  turned  upon 
the  high  price  of  provisions,  which  had  doubled,  it  was  said, 
during  the  last  twenty  years;  M.  Bouchard  mentioning  that 
he  could  remember  having  seen  pigeons  sold  at  fifteen  sous 
the  couple  when  he  was  young.  However,  as  soon  as  the 
liqueurs  and  coli'ee  had  been  handed  round,  Madame  Rougon 
quietly  disappeared,  and  the  men  went  into  the  drawing-room 
without  her.  They  all  seemed  quite  at  home.  The  colonel 
and  the  chief-clerk  carried  the  card-table  in  front  of  the  fire, 
and  began  to  shufile  the  cards,  already  preparing  some  won- 
derful combinations.  Auguste  sat  down  at  a  side  table  and 
turned  over  some  numbers  of  an  illustrated  newspaper.  Du 
Poizat  had  disappeared. 

'  Just  look  at  the  hand  I  hold,'  exclaimed  the  colonel 
abruptly.     '  Isn't  it  a  strange  one  ?  ' 

Rougon  went  up  to  the  table  and  nodded.  Then,  when  he 
had  returned  to  his  chair  in  silence,  and  was  taking  up  the 

o 


194  BIS  EXCELLENCY 

tongs  to  move  some  of  the  logs  of  the  fire,  the  servant  came  in 
very  quietly,  and  said  in  bis  ear :  '  The  gentleman  who  called 
this  morning  is  here.' 

Kougon  started.  He  had  not  heard  the  bell.  When  he 
went  into  his  study,  he  found  Gilquin  standing  there  with  a 
rattan  cane  under  his  arm,  whilst,  with  a  professional  blinking 
of  the  eyes,  he  examined  a  somewhat  poor  engraving  of 
Napoleon  at  Saint  Helena.  Gilquin's  long  green  overcoat 
was  buttoned  up  to  his  chin,  and  he  had  not  even  doffed  his 
black  silk  hat,  which  looked  almost  new,  and  was  tilted  very 
much  on  one  side. 

'  Well  ?  '  asked  Rougon  hastily. 

Gilquin,  however,  seemed  in  no  hurry,  but  jogged  his 
head  while  looking  at  the  engraving,  and  saying:  'It's  well 
expressed.     How  dreadfully  bored  he  looks,  doesn't  he  ?  ' 

The  room  was  lighted  by  a  single  lamp,  which  stood  on  a 
corner  of  the  writing-table.  As  Rougon  entered,  a  slight 
noise,  a  gentle  rustling  of  paper,  had  come  from  behind  a 
high-backed  arm-chair  which  stood  in  front  of  the  mantel- 
piece, but  then  such  perfect  silence  had  fallen  that  the  previous 
sound  might  have  been  thought  the  mere  cracking  of  some 
half-extinguished  piece  of  firewood.  Gilquin  declined  to  take 
a  seat ;  so  he  and  Rougon  remained  standing  near  the  door, 
in  a  patch  of  shadow  cast  by  a  book-case. 

'  Well  ?  '  Rougon  asked  again ;  and  then  he  mentioned 
that  he  had  called  in  the  Rue  Guisarde  during  the  afternoon. 

At  this  Gilquin  began  to  speak  of  his  doorkeeper,  an  ex- 
cellent woman,  who  was,  unfortunately,  dying  of  consumption, 
which  she  had  contracted  owing  to  the  dampness  of  the 
ground  floor  of  the  house, 

'  But  this  important  piece  of  business  of  yours  ?  What  is 
it  ?  '  asked  the  great  man  impatiently. 

'  Oh,  wait  a  moment,'  rejoined  the  other,  '  I  have  come 
about  that.  I'll  tell  you  about  it  directly.  But  did  you  go 
upstairs,  and  did  you  hear  my  cat  ?  It's  a  cat  that  came  in 
by  way  of  the  roof.  One  night,  when  my  window  was  open, 
I  found  her  lying  by  my  side.  She  was  licking  my  beard.  It 
seemed  very  droll,  and  so  I  kept  her.' 

Then,  at  last,  he  made  up  his  mind  to  speak  of  the  parti- 
cular business  which  had  brought  him  there.  It  was  a  long 
story.  ^   He  commenced  by  relating  his  amours  with  an  ironing- 

'  The  narrative  which  follows  above  is  virtually  matter  of  history, 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  195 

girl,  with  whom  he  had  fallen  in  love  one  evening,  as  he  was 
coming  out  of  the  Ambigu  Theatre.  Poor  Eulalie,  he  said, 
had  been  distrained  upon  by  her  landlord,  when  only  five 
instalments  of  her  rent  were  due.  For  the  last  ten  days,  there- 
fore, she  had  been  staying  at  a  lodging-house  in  the  Eue 
]\Iontmartre,  near  her  work,  and  it  was  there  that  he  himself 
had  been  sleeping  all  the  week,  the  room  being  on  the  second 
iloor,  a  dark  little  place  at  the  far  end  of  a  passage,  which 
overlooked  a  yard. 

All  this  did  not  interest  Eougon,  still  he  listened  with 
patient  resignation. 

'  Well,  three  days  ago,'  continued  Gilquin,  '  I  brought 
a  cake  and  a  bottle  of  wine  with  me  in  the  evening.  We  ate 
the  cake  and  drank  the  wine  in  bed.  A  little  before  midnight, 
Eulalie  got  up  to  shake  out  the  crumbs  ;  and  theii  she  went 
soundly  to  sleep.  !She  sleeps  like  a  log.  I,  myself,  was  lying 
awake.  I  had  bloAvn  out  the  candle,  and  was  staring  up  into 
the  darkness,  when  I  heard  a  dispute  in  the  next  room.  I 
ought  to  tell  you  that  between  the  two  rooms  there's  a  door 
which  has  been  fastened  up.  After  a  time  the  voices  quieted 
down  and  peace  seemed  to  have  been  made ;  but  I  still 
heard  such  singular  sounds  that  at  last  1  got  out  of  bed  and 
fixed  my  eye  to  a  crack  in  the  door.  Well,  you'll  never  guess 
what  I  saw  then  !  ' 

He  stopped  for  a  moment,  and  gazed  at  Eougon,  revelling 
in  the  efl'ect  which  he  thought  he  was  producing. 

'  There  were  two  men  there  :  a  young  one  of  about  five- 
and-twenty,  who  was  fairly  good  looking ;  and  another  who 
must  have  turned  fifty,  short  and  thin,  and  of  sickly  appear- 
ance. Well,  they  were  examining  a  collection  of  pistols  and 
daggers  and  swords,  all  kinds  of  brand  new  weapons  which 
glistened  in  the  light.  They  were  talking  in  a  jargon  which 
1  did  not  recognise  at  first,  but  afterwards,  by  certain  words 
I  heard,  I  knew  it  was  Italian.  I've  travelled  in  Italy,  you 
know,  in  the  macaroni  trade.  Well,  I  strained  my  ear  to 
listen,  and  then  I  understood,  my  dear  fellow.  Those  gentle- 
men have  come  to  Paris  to  assassinate  the  Emperor  !  There, 
what  do  you  think  of  thai  ?  ' 

Then  he  crossed  his  arms  and  pressed  his  cane  to  his 

only  for  Gilqnin's  name  one  should  substitute  that  of  a  detective  officer 
who  carried  his  information  to  M.  Claude,  afterwards  famous  as  the 
chief  of  the  French  detective  i^olice. — Ed. 

02 


196  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

breast  as  be  kept  on  repeating  :  '  It's  a  funny  business,  isn't 
it?' 

So  this  was  Gilquin's  strange  affair !  Eougon  shrugged 
his  shoulders.  Twenty  times  before  had  various  conspiracies 
been  reported  to  him. 

'  You  told  me  to  come  and  tell  you  all  the  gossip  of  the 
neighbourhood,'  resumed  the  ex-commercial  traveller.  '  Well, 
I  want  to  render  you  all  tbe  service  I  can,  and  so  1  tell  you  all  I 
hear.  It  is  wrong  of  you  to  shake  your  bead  like  that.  Do 
you  think  if  I  had  gone  to  the  prefecture  that  they  would  have 
sent  me  away  without  a  nice  little  gratuity  ?  But  I  prefer 
benefiting  my  friends.  I  tell  you  that  the  matter  is  really 
serious.  So  go  and  tell  it  to  the  Emperor,  and  just  see  how 
he  embraces  you.' 

For  the  last  three  days,  Gilquin  had  been  keeping  a  watch 
over  those  fine  gentlemen  as  he  called  them.  During  the 
daytime,  two  others  made  their  appearance,  a  young  man, 
and  another  of  mature  years,  with  a  pale,  handsome  face  and 
long  black  hair,  who  seemed,  to  be  the  chief.'  They  all  looked 
tired  out  when  they  entered  the  room,  and  they  talked 
together  in  brief,  guarded  phrases.  However,  on  the  previous 
night,  Gilquin  had  seen  them  fillmg  some  little  iron  '  machines ' 
which  he  believed  were  bombs.  He  had  got  Eulalie's  key, 
and  had  taken  off  his  boots  and  kept  a  careful  watch  in  the 
room,  listening  to  every  sound.  In  the  evening  he  so  man- 
aged matters  that  Eulalie  began  to  snore  at  about  nine  o'clock, 
which,  he  had  thought,  would  prevent  the  others  from  feeling 
any  suspicion  ;  besides,  it  was  never  prudent,  he  added,  to  let 
a  woman  have  any  share  in  political  matters. 

As  Gilquin  went  on  speaking,  a  grave  expression  came 
over  Eougon's  face.  He  was  beginning  to  believe  the  story. 
Beneath  the  ex-bagman's  vinous  hilarity,  amid  the  odd  details 
mingled  with  the  narrative,  he  felt  tl  at  there  was  a  basis  of 
positive  truth.  And  then  all  his  irksome  expectation  during 
the  day,  all  his  anxious  curiosity  appeared  to  liim  in  the  light 
of  a  presentiment,  and  he  again  experienced  that  inward 
trembling  which  he  had  felt  every  now  and  then  since  the 
morning  ;  the  involuntary  emotion,  as  it  were,  of  a  strong  man 
when  he  realises  that  his  fortune  depends  upon  a  single  card. 
However,  he  affected  utter  indifference :  '  A  set  of  imbeciles 
who  must  have  the  whole  detective  force  watching  them,'  he  said. 

•  Felice  Orsini. 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  197 

Gilquin  began  to  grin.  *  The  police  had  better  lose  no 
time,  then,'  he  rejoined. 

Then  he  became  silent,  but  he  still  smiled  and  gently  tapped 
his  hat.  The  great  man  realised  that  he  had  not  been  told 
everything,  and  looked  at  Gilquin  searchingly.  However,  the 
other  opened  the  door  to  take  his  leave.  '  Well,  at  any  rate,  I 
have  given  you  warning,'  he  said.  '  I'm  going  to  dine  now, 
my  good  fellow.  I've  had  no  dinner  yet ;  I've  been  playing 
the  spy  on  my  men  all  the  afternoon,  and  I'm  tremendously 
hungry.' 

At  this  Rougon  stopped  him,  saying  that  he  could  let  him 
have  some  cold  meat ;  and  forthwith  he  ordered  a  cover  to  be 
laid  for  him  in  the  dining-room.  Gilquin  seemed  quite 
touched  by  this  attention.  He  once  more  closed  the  study 
door,  and,  lowering  his  voice  so  that  the  servant  should  not 
hear  him,  said  to  Rougon  :  '  You  are  a  good  fellow.  Listen 
to  me,  now.  I  don't  want  to  tell  you  any  lies.  If  you  had 
received  me  badly,  I  should  have  gone  straight  to  the  prefec- 
ture. But,  now,  I'll  tell  you  everything.  That's  honest,  isn't 
it  ?  I'm  sure  you  won't  forget  the  service  I'm  rendering  you. 
Friends  are  friends,  whatever  people  may  say.'  Then  he 
leant  forward  and  continued  in  a  whisper  :  '  It  is  to  come  off 
to-morrow  night.  They  are  going  to  blow  Badinguet '  up  in 
front  of  the  Opera-house  when  he  arrives  there.  The  carriage 
and  the  aides-de-camp  and  the  whole  lot  will  be  clean  swept 
away.' 

While  Gilquin  sat  down  to  his  meal  in  the  dining-room, 
Rougon  remained  standing  in  the  middle  of  his  study,  per- 
fectly still  and  with  an  ashy  face.  He  was  deep  in  thought, 
and  seemed  to  be  hesitating.  At  length  he  sat  down  at  his 
writing-table  and  took  up  a  sheet  of  paper,  but  he  tossed  it 
aside  again  almost  immediately.  For  a  moment  it  seemed  as 
if  he  were  going  to  rush  to  the  door  and  give  an  order.  Then 
he  slowly  came  back  and  again  became  absorbed  in  thought, 
which  cast  a  shrouding  gloom  over  his  face. 

Just  at  that  moment  the  high-backed  arm-chair  in  front 
of  the  fire-place  moved,  and  Du  Poizat  stood  up,  calmly  folding 
a  newspaper. 

'  What !   were  you  there  ?  '  cried  Rougon  roughly. 

'  A  favourite  nickname  for  Napoleon  III. ;  properly  the  name  of  the 
workman  whose  clothes  he  donned  when  escaping  from  the  fort  of 
Ham  --Ed. 


198  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

*  Of  course  ;  I  have  been  reading  the  papers,'  replied  the 
ex-sub-prefect,  with  a  smile  which  revealed  his  irregular  white 
teeth.  '  You  knew  very  well  I  was  there  ;  you  saw  me  when 
you  came  in.' 

This  audacious  falsehood  cut  all  explanation  short.  The 
two  men  looked  at  each  other  for  some  moments  in  silence. 
Then,  as  Rougon  seemed  to  consult  him  with  his  eyes,  and 
again  went  towards  the  writing-table,  Du  Poizat  made  a  little 
gesture,  which  plainly  signified  :  '  Wait  a  minute  ;  there  is 
no  hurry.  We  must  consider  matters.'  Not  a  word  was  ex- 
changed between  them,  they  both  went  back  to  the  drawing- 
room. 

Such  an  angry  dispute  had  broken  out  that  evening  between 
the  colonel  and  M.  Bouchard,  on  the  subject  of  the  Orleans 
Princes  and  the  Count  de  Chambord,  that  they  had  banged 
their  cards  down,  and  sworn  that  they  would  never  play  with 
each  other  again.  And  then  with  glowering  eyes  they  had 
seated  themselves  on  either  side  of  the  fire-place.  However, 
when  Rougon  returned,  they  were  once  more  making  friends 
by  loudly  singing  the  great  man's  praises  :  that  being  the 
one  subject  on  which  they  could  agree. 

'  Oh,  I  feel  no  constraint  about  it ;  I  say  it  before  his  face,' 
the  colonel  continued.  '  There  is  no  one  to  equal  him  at  the 
present  time.' 

'  We  are  speaking  ill  of  you,  you  hear,'  said  M.  Bouchard, 
with  a  cunning  smile. 

Then  the  conversation  went  on  : 

'  A  brain  far  above  the  average.' 

'  A  man  of  action,  who  has  the  coup  d'osil  of  born  con- 
querors.' 

'  Ah  !  France  wants  his  help  sadly  just  now.' 

'  Yes,  indeed.  He  could  do  something  to  get  us  out  of  the 
mess.     He  is  the  only  man  who  can  save  the  Empire.' 

As  Rougon  heard  this  his  shoulders  bent,  and  he  affected 
a  surly  air  by  way  of  modesty.  Such  incense  was,  however, 
extremely  pleasant  to  him.  His  vanity  was  never  so  delight- 
fully titillated  as  when  the  colonel  and  M.  Bouchard  bandied 
laudatory  phrases  like  these  about  for  a  whole  evening.  They 
talked  a  great  deal  of  obvious  nonsense,  and  their  faces  wore 
gravely  ridiculous  expressions  ;  but  the  more  they  grovelled  in 
their  language  the  more  did  Rougon  enjoy  hearing  their 
monotonous  voices  as  they  sang  his  praises  and  lavished 
altogether  inapplicable  commendation  upon  him.    He  some- 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  199 

times  made  fun  of  them  when  they  were  not  there,  but, 
for  all  that,  his  pride  and  craving  for  power  found  gratifi- 
cation in  their  eulogies.  They  formed,  as  it  were,  a  dung- 
hill of  praise  in  which  his  huge  frame  could  wallow  at  its 
ease. 

'  No,  no  ;  I  am  only  a  weak  sort  of  man,'  he  said,  shaking 

his  head.     '  If  I  were  really  all  that  you  believe ' 

He  did  not  finish  his  sentence,  but  sat  down  at  the  card- 
table  and  began  to  consult  the  cards,  a  thing  which  he  now 
seldom  did.  Meanwhile  M.  Bouchard  and  the  colonel  con- 
tinued to  belaud  him.  They  declared  that  he  was  a  great 
orator,  a  great  administrator,  a  great  financier,  and  a  great 
pohtician.  Du  Poizat,  who  had  remained  standing,  nodded 
his  head  assentingly ;  and  presently,  without  looking  at 
Rougon,  and  as  though  the  latter  had  not  been  present,  he 
remarked :  '  Mon  Bleu  !  Only  the  least  thing  is  needed  to 
bring  him  into  power  again.  The  Emperor  is  most  favour- 
ably disposed  towards  him.  If  some  catastrophe  were  to 
happen  to-morrow,  and  the  Emperor  should  feel  the  need  of 
an  energetic  hand,  why  by  the  day  after  to-morrow  Rougon 
would  be  minister — that's  the  long  and  short  of  it.' 

The  great  man  slowly  raised  his  eyes.  Then  he  dropped 
back  in  his  chair,  leaving  his  combinations  with  the  cards 
unfinished,  while  his  face  again  clouded  over.  But  the  untir- 
ing flattery  of  M.  Bouchard  and  the  colonel  still  rang  out 
amidst  his  reverie  as  if  to  spur  him  on  to  some  resolution 
from  which  he  yet  recoiled.  And  at  last  a  smile  appeared 
upon  his  face  as  young  Auguste,  who  had  just  completed  the 
abandoned  reussite  with  the  cards,  exclaimed  :  '  It  has  come 
out  all  right.  Monsieur  Rougon.' 

'  Of  course  !  things  always  come  all  right,'  said  Du  Poizat, 
repeating  the  great  man's  favourite  phrase. 

However,  at  that  moment  a  servant  entered  and  told 
Rougon  that  a  gentleman  and  a  lady  wished  to  see  him.  And 
he  handed  him'a  card,  at  the  sight  of  which  Rougon  uttered 
a  shght  cry.     '  What !     Are  they  in  Paris  ?  ' 

The  visitors  were  the  Marquis  and  Marchioness 
d'Escorailles.  Rougon  hastened  to  receive  them  in  his 
study.  They  apologised  for  the  lateness  of  their  visit ;  and, 
in  the  course  of  conversation,  gave  him  to  understand  that 
they  had  been  in  Paris  for  a  couple  of  days  past,  but  had 
feared  lest  a  visit  from  them  to  one  so  closely  connected  with 
the  Emperor  might  be  misconstrued  ;    hence  they  had  pre- 


2  00  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

ferred  to  make  their  call  quite  privately  and  at  this  somewhat 
unseemly  hour.  The  explanation  in  no  way  offended  Rougon. 
The  presence  of  the  Marquis  and  Marchioness  under  his  roof 
was  an  unlioped-for  honour.  If  the  Emperor  himself  had 
knocked  at  his  door,  he  would  not  have  felt  more  gratification. 
Those  old  people  coming  to  ask  a  favour  of  him  typified  all 
Plassans  oflering  him  its  homage ;  that  aristocratic,  cold  and 
haughty  Plassans,  which  had  ever  seemed  to  him  a  sort  of 
inaccessible  Olympus.  An  old  ambitious  dream  was  at  last 
being  realised,  and  he  felt  that  he  was  avenged  for  the  scorn 
shown  him  by  the  little  town  when,  as  a  briefless  advocate, 
he  had  dragged  his  worn-down  boots  about  its  ill-paved 
streets. 

'  We  did  not  find  Jules  at  home,'  said  the  Marchioness 
d'Escorailles.  '  We  were  looking  forward  with  pleasure  to 
giving  him  a  surprise.  But  he  has  been  obliged  to  go  to 
Orleans  on  business,  it  seems.' 

Rougon  was  not  aware  of  the  young  man's  absence ;  how- 
ever, he  quite  understood  it  on  recalling  the  circumstance  that 
the  aunt  whom  Madame  Bouchard  had  gone  to  see  lived  at 
Orleans.  Nevertheless  he  justified  Jules,  saying  that  it  was  a 
serious  matter,  a  question  of  abuse  of  power,  which  had 
necessitated  his  journey.  Then  he  told  them  that  their  son 
was  a  very  intelligent  young  man  and  had  a  great  future 
before  him. 

'  It  is  necessary  for  him  to  make  his  way,'  said  the  Marquis, 
thus  lightly  alluding  to  the  ruin  of  the  family.  '  It  was  a 
great  trial  to  us  to  part  with  him.' 

Then  he  and  his  wife  in  discreet  fashion  began  to  deplore 
the  necessities  of  those  degenerate  times  which  prevented  sons 
from  growing  up  in  the  faith  of  their  parents.  They  them- 
selves had  never  set  foot  in  Paris  since  the  fall  of  Charles  X. ; 
and  they  would  not  have  come  there  now  if  it  had  not  been  a 
question  of  Jules's  future.  Since  their  dear  boy,  with  their 
secret  consent,  had  taken  service  under  the  Empire,  they  had 
pretended  to  deny  him  before  the  world,  but  in  reality  they 
were  continually  striving  for  his  advancement. 

'  We  make  no  pretence  with  you,  Monsieur  Rougon,'  said 
the  Marquis,  in  a  tone  of  charming  familiarity.  'We  love  our 
boy  ;  it  is  natural  we  should.  You  have  done  a  great  deal  for 
him  already,  and  we  thank  you  heartily  for  it.  But  we  want 
you  to  do  more  still.  We  are  friends  and  fellow-townsmen, 
are  we  not  ? ' 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  2o\ 

Rougon  bowed,  feeling  much  moved.  The  humble  demean^ 
our  of  those  old  people  whom  he  had  seen  so  majestic  when 
they  repaired  on  Sundays  to  the  church  of  Saint  Marc,  seemed 
to  enhance  his  own  importance.  He  gave  them  formal  pro- 
mises of  help. 

As  they  were  going  off,  after  twenty  minutes'  friendly  con- 
versation, the  ^larchioness  took  Rougon's  hand  and  held  it 
for  a  moment  within  her  own.  '  Then  we  may  rely  upon  you, 
dear  Monsieur  Rougon  ?  '  she  said.  '  We  came  from  Plassans 
especially  for  this  purpose.  We  were  beginning  to  feel  a  little 
impatient.  At  our  age  you  can't  wonder  at  it.  Now,  how- 
ever, we  shall  go  back  feeling  very  happy.  People  told  us 
there  that  you  could  no  longer  do  anything.' 

Rougon  smiled.  And  with  an  air  of  decision  that  seemed 
prompted  by  some  secret  thoughts  of  his  own,  he  replied  : 
'  Where  there's  a  will  there's  a  way  ;  rely  on  me.' 

When  they  had  left  him,  however,  a  shadow  of  regret 
passed  over  his  face.  He  was  still  tarrying  in  the  ante-room, 
when  he  espied  a  neatly-dressed  man,  who,  balancing  a  small 
round  felt  hat  between  his  fingers,  stood  in  a  respectful  attitude 
in  a  corner. 

'  What  do  you  want  ?  '  Rougon  curtly  asked  him. 

The  man,  who  was  very  tall  and  broad-shouldered,  lowered 
his  eyes  and  replied  :  *  Don't  you  recognise  me,  sir  ?  '  And  as 
Rougon  declared  that  he  did  not,  the  other  continued,  *  I'm 
Merle,  your  old  usher  at  the  Council  of  State.' 

At  this  Rougon  became  somewhat  softer  :  '  Oh,  yes  !  But 
you  are  wearing  a  full  beard  now.  Well,  my  man,  what  do 
you  want  me  to  do  for  you  ?  ' 

Then  Merle  proceeded  to  explain  matters  in  studiously 
polite  language.  He  had  met  Madame  Correur  in  the  after- 
noon, and  she  had  advised  him  to  see  Monsieur  Rougon  that 
very  evening.  If  it  had  not  been  for  that,  he.  Merle,  would 
never  have  presumed  to  disturb  him  at  such  an  hour. 
'  Madame  Correiir  is  extremely  kind,'  he  repeated  several 
times.  Then  he  went  on  to  say  that  he  was  out  of  employ- 
ment. If  he  now  wore  a  full  beard  it  was  because  he  had 
left  the  Council  of  State  some  six  months  previously.  When 
Rougon  inquired  the  reason  of  his  dismissal,  he  would  not 
allow  that  he  had  been  discharged  for  bad  conduct,  but  bit 
his  lip  and  said  :  '  They  all  knew  there  how  devoted  I  was  to 
you,  sir.  After  you  went  away,  I  had  to  put  up  with  all  sorts 
of  unpleasantness,  because  I  have  never  been  able  to  conceal 


202  mS  EXCELLENCY 

my  real  feelings.  One  day  I  almost  struck  a  fellow-servant 
who  was  saying  provoking  things,  and  then  they  discharged 
me.' 

Eougon  looked  at  him  searchingly.  '  And  so,  my  man,  it's 
on  my  account  that  you  are  now  out  of  place  ? ' 

Merle  smiled  slightly. 

*  And  I  owe  you  another  berth,  eh  ?  You  want  me  to  find 
you  a  situation  somewhere  ?  ' 

'  It  would  be  very  kind  of  you,  sir,' 

There  was  a  short  pause.  Eougon  tapped  his  hands 
together  in  a  fidgety,  mechanical  way.  But  soon  he  began  to 
smile,  having  made  up  his  mind.  He  had  too  many  debts ; 
he  must  pay  them  and  get  rid  of  them. 

*  Well,  I  will  look  after  you,'  he  said,  '  and  get  you  a  place 
somewhere.     You  did  right  to  come  to  me,  my  man.' 

Then  he  dismissed  him.  He  now  hesitated  no  longer. 
He  went  straight  into  the  dining  room  where  Gilquin  had  just 
finished  off  a  pot  of  jam,  after  eating  a  slice  of  'pdtt,  the  leg 
of  a  fowl,  and  some  cold  potatoes.  Du  Poizat,  who  had 
joined  him,  was  sitting  astride  a  chair  and  talking  to  him. 
They  were  discussing  women  in  somewhat  crude  language. 
Gilquin  had  kept  his  hat  on  his  head,  and  leant  back, 
lounging  in  his  chair  and  picking  his  teeth,  under  the  impres- 
sion that  he  was  behaving  in  proper  aristocratic  style. 

*  Well,  I  must  be  off  now,'  he  said,  after  gulping  down  the 
contents  of  his  glass,  which  was  full,  and  smacking  his  lips. 
'  I  am  going  to  the  Rue  Montmartre  to  see  what  has  become 
of  my  birds.' 

Rougon,  who  seemed  in  high  spirits,  began,  however,  to 
joke  at  him.  Now  that  he  had  dined,  did  he  still  believe  in 
that  story  of  a  plot?  Du  Poizat,  too,  affected  complete 
incredulity.  He  made  an  appointment  for  the  next  morning 
with  Gilquin,  to  whom,  he  said,  he  owed  a  breakfast.  Gilquin, 
with  his  cane  under  his  arm,  asked  as  soon  as  he  could  get 
a  word  in  :  '  Then  you  are  not  going  to  warn ' 

'Yes,  I  am,  of  course,'  Rougon  replied.  'But  they'll 
merely  laugh  at  me.  In  any  case  there's  no  hurry.  There 
will  be  plenty  of  time  to-morrow  morning.' 

The  ex-commercial  traveller  had  already  got  his  hand  upon 
the  handle  of  the  door.  However,  he  stepped  back  with  a 
grin  on  his  face.  *  For  all  I  care,'  he  said,  '  they  may  blow 
Badinguet  to  smithereens.' 

'  Oh !  '    replied  the  great   man,  with   an   air   of   almost 


RECALLED   TO  POWER  203 

religious  conviction,  '  the  Emperor  has  no  cause  for  fear,  even 
if  your  story  is  correct.  These  plots  never  succeed.  There 
is  a  watchful  Providence.' 

That  was  the  last  word  spoken  on  the  matter.  Du  Poizat 
went  off  with  Gilquin,  chatting  with  him  familiarly.  An 
hour  later,  at  half-past  ten,  when  Rougon  shook  hands  with 
M.  Bouchard  and  the  colonel  as  they  took  their  leave,  he 
stretched  his  arms  and  yawned,  saying,  as  was  often  his  wont : 
'  I  am  quite  tired  out.     I  shall  sleep  well  to-night.' 

On  the  following  evening  three  bombs  exploded  beneath 
the  Emperor's  carriage  in  front  of  the  Opera-house.  A  wild 
panic  seized  the  serried  crowd  blocking  up  the  Rue  Le  Peletier.' 
More  than  fifty  people  were  struck.  A  woman  in  a  blue  silk 
dress  was  killed  on  the  spot  and  stretched  stark  in  the  gutter. 
Two  soldiers  lay  dying  on  the  road.  An  aide- de- camp, 
wounded  in  the  neck,  left  drops  of  blood  behind  him.  But, 
under  the  crude  glare  of  the  gas,  amidst  the  wreathing  smoke, 
the  Emperor  descended  unhurt  from  his  riddled  carriage,  and 
saluted  the  throng.  Only  his  hat  was  torn  by  a  splinter  from 
one  of  the  bombs. 

Rougon  had  spent  the  day  at  home.  In  the  morning  he 
had  certainly  felt  a  little  restless,  and  had  twice  been  on  the 
point  of  going  out.  However,  just  as  he  was  finishing 
(Ujeuner,  Clorinde  made  her  appearance  ;  and  then,  in  her 
society,  in  his  study,  where  they  remained  till  evening,  he 
forgot  everything.  She  had  come  to  consult  him  on  a  matter 
of  great  intricacy,  and  appeared  extremely  discouraged.  She 
could  succeed  in  nothing,  she  said.  But  Rougon  began  to 
console  her,  seemingly  much  touched  by  her  sadness.  He  gave 
her  to  understand  that  there  was  great  reason  for  hope,  and 
that  things  would  altogether  change.  He  was  by  no  means 
ignoiant  of  the  devotion  of  his  friends,  and  of  all  that  they  had 
done  for  him,  and  would  make  it  his  care  to  reward  them, 
even  the  humblest  of  them.  When  Clorinde  left  him,  he 
kissed  her  on  the  forehead.  Then  after  dinner  he  had  an 
irresistible  longing  for  a  walk.  He  left  the  house  and  took 
the  shortest  way  to  the  quays,  feeling  suffocated  and  craving 
for  the  fresh  breezes  of  the  river.  It  was  a  mild  winter 
evening,  and  the  low,  cloudy  sky  hung  over  the  city  in  silent 
blackness.  In  the  distance  the  rumbling  traffic  of  the  main 
streets   could   be   faintly  heard.     Rougon  walked  along  the 

'  The  Opera-house  then  stood  there. — Ed. 


204  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

deserted  footways  with  a  regular  step,  brushing  the  stone 
parapet  with  his  overcoat.  The  lights  which  spread  out  in 
the  far  distance,  twinkling  through  the  darkness  like  stars 
that  marked  the  boundaries  of  some  dead  heaven,  brought  him 
a  sensation  of  the  spreading  magnitude  of  all  those  squares 
and  streets,  whose  houses  were  now  quite  invisible.  As  he 
walked  along  Paris  seemed  to  grow  bigger,  to  expand  more 
in  harmony  with  his  own  huge  form,  and  to  be  capable  of 
giving  him  all  the  air  he  needed  to  inflate  his  lungs.  From 
the  inky  river,  flecked  here  and  there  with  shimmering  gold, 
there  rose  a  gentle  yet  mighty  breathing,  like  that  of  a  sleeping 
giant — fit  accompaniment  to  his  colossal  dream.  Then  as  he 
came  in  front  of  the  Palais  de  Justice,  a  clock  struck  the  hour 
of  nine.  There  was  a  tremulous  throbbing  in  the  air,  and  he 
turned  to  listen.  Over  the  housetops  he  fancied  he  could  hear 
the  sounds  of  a  sudden  panic,  distant  reports  like  those  of 
explosions,  and  cries  of  terror.  He  suddenly  pictured  Paris 
in  all  the  stupor  born  of  some  great  crime.  Then  he  called 
to  mind  that  afternoon  in  June,  that  bright  triumphant  after- 
noon of  the  Baptism,  when  the  bells  had  pealed  out  in  the  hot 
sunshine,  and  the  quays  had  been  filled  with  a  serried  multi- 
tude, when  everything  had  told  of  the  glory  of  the  Empire  at 
its  apogee,  that  glory  beneath  which  he  had  for  a  moment  felt 
crushed  and  almost  jealous  of  the  Emperor.  Now  he  seemed 
to  behaving  his  revenge.  The  sky  was  black  and  moonless  ; 
the  city  was  terror-stricken  and  dumb  ;  the  quays  were  deserted 
and  swept  by  a  shudder  which  seemed  to  scare  the  very  gas- 
lights, as  though  some  weird  evil  lay  in  ambush,  yonder,  in 
the  darkness  of  the  night.  Eougon  drew  in  long  breaths  of 
air,  and  felt  that  he  loved  that  cut-throat  Paris,  in  whose 
terror-striking  gloom  he  was  regaining  supreme  power. 

Ten  days  later,  he  became  Minister  of  the  Interior,  in  the 
place  of  M,  de  Marsy,  who  was  called  to  the  Presidency  of  the 
Corps  Legislatif. 


IN   OFFICE 

One  morning  in  March,  Rougon  sat  in  his  room  at  the 
Ministry  of  the  Interior,  drawing  up  a  confidential  circular 
which  was  to  be  received  by  the  prefects  on  the  following  day. 


IN  OFFICE  205 

He  kept  stopping,  and  puffing,  and  dashing  his  pen  into  the 
paper.  *  Jules,  give  me  a  synonym  for  authority,'  he  said. 
'  This  language  of  ours  is  horrid.  I  keep  putting  authority  in 
every  line.' 

'  Well,  there's  power,  government,  empire,'  the  young  man 
answered  with  a  smile. 

M.  Jules  d'Escorailles,  whom  Rougon  had  appointed  his 
secretary,  was  opening  the  ministerial  correspondence  at  a 
corner  of  the  writing-table.  He  carefully  cut  the  envelopes 
with  a  penknife,  glanced  over  the  letters  and  then  classified 
them.  Meantime,  the  colonel,  M.  Kahn  and  M.  Bejuin  sat  in 
front  of  the  grate  where  a  large  fire  was  burning.  They  were 
all  three  reclining  in  their  chairs  and  toasting  their  feet  in 
silence.  M.  Kahn  read  a  newspaper,  but  the  two  others 
placidly  twiddled  their  thumbs  and  looked  at  the  flames. 

All  at  once  Eougon  rose  from  his  chair,  poured  out  a 
glassful  of  water  at  a  side  table,  and  gulped  it  down  at  a 
draught.  *I  don't  knoA^'what  I  can  have  eaten  yesterday,'  he 
said,  '  but  I  feel  as  though  I  could  drink  the  Seine  dry  this 
morning.' 

He  did  not  immediately  resume  his  seat,  but  began  to  pace 
the  room  and  stretch  his  burly  frame.  His  heavy  step  shook 
the  parqueterie  underneath  the  thick  carpet.  He  drew  back 
the  green  velvet  window  curtains  to  let  in  more  light,  and  then, 
coming  back  to  the  middle  of  the  room,  which  displayed  the 
gloomy,  faded  magnificence  of  some  palace  turned  into  a 
lodging-house,  he  remained  there  with  his  hands  clasped 
behind  his  neck,  revelling,  as  it  were,  in  the  official  perfume, 
the  odour  of  power  which  he  inhaled  there.  He  even  broke 
into  an  involuntary  laugh,  which  grew  louder  and  louder  as  it 
pealed  forth  his  sense  of  triumph.  The  colonel  and  the  others 
turned  upon  hearing  this  outburst  of  gaiety,  and  questioned 
him  with  their  eyes. 

'  Ah  !  it's  very  nice,  all  the  same,'  were  the  only  words  he 
would  say. 

However,  as  he  sat  down  again  at  the  huge  rosewood 
writing-table.  Merle  came  into  the  room.  The  usher  was 
irreproachably  dressed  in  black,  with  a  white  tie.  Not  a  hair 
remained  upon  his  dignified  face.  He  was  again  clean- 
shaven. 

'  I  beg  your  excellency's  pardon,'  he  said,  *  but  the  prefect 
of  the  Somme ' 

*  Tell  him  to  go  to  the  deuce  !  I'm  busy,'  Rougon  answered 


2o6  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

roughly.     '  It's  quite  preposterous  that   I   am  never   to  be 
allowed  a  moment  to  myself.' 

Merle  seemed  in  no  way  disconcerted,  however.  *  The 
prefect,'  he  resumed,  '  says  that  your  excellency  is  expecting 
him.  There  are  also  the  prefects  of  the  Nievre,  the  Cher,  and 
the  Jura.' 

'  Well,  let  them  wait !  That's  what  they're  made  for,' 
rejoined  Rougon  loudly. 

The  usher  left  the  room.  M.  d'Escorailles  had  broken 
into  a  smile  ;  while  the  others  who  were  warming  themselves 
at  the  fire  lolled  back  more  freely  than  ever  in  their  chairs, 
and  seemed  amused  by  the  minister's  reply.  He  was  flattered 
by  his  success. 

'  It  is  true,'  he  said,  '  that  I  have  been  going  through  the 
prefects  for  the  last  month.  It  was  necessary  that  I  should 
have  them  all  here.  A  nice  lot  they  are,  too  ;  some  rare 
stupids  amongst  them.  However,  they  are  very  obedient. 
But  I  feel  that  I  have  had  enough  of  them.  And,  besides,  it's 
for  their  benefit  that  I'm  working  this  morning.' 

Then  he  turned  to  his  circular  again.  The  warm  silence 
of  the  room  was  only  broken  by  the  scratching  of  his  quill-pen 
and  the  slight  rustling  of  the  envelopes  which  M.  d'Escorailles 
opened.  M.  Kahn  had  taken  up  another  newspaper,  and 
the  colonel  and  M.  Bejuin  were  half  asleep. 

Outside,  France  was  hushed  in  fear.  The  Emperor,  in 
summoning  Rougon  to  power,  had  been  desirous  of  making 
examples.  He  knew  the  great  man's  iron  hand,  and  had  said 
to  him  on  the  morning  after  the  attempt  on  his  life,  with  all 
the  anger  of  one  who  has  just  escaped  assassination,  'No 
moderation,  mind  !  They  must  be  made  to  fear  you.'  He  had 
just  armed  him,  too,  with  that  terrible  Law  of  General  Safety, 
which  authorised  the  confinement  in  Algeria  or  the  expulsion 
from  the  empire  of  anyone  who  might  be  convicted  of  a  poli- 
tical offence.  Although  no  single  Frenchman  had  taken  part 
in  the  crime  of  the  Rue  Le  Peletier,  the  Republicans  were 
about  to  be  hunted  down  and  transported  ;  there  was  to  be  a 
general  sweeping  away  of  the  ten  thousand  '  suspects '  who 
had  been  passed  over  at  the  time  of  the  cou'p  d'etat.  There 
were  rumours  of  contemplated  action  by  the  revolutionary 
party.  The  authorities  were  said  to  have  made  a  seizure  of 
weapons  and  treasonable  documents.  Already  in  the  middle 
of  March,  three  hundred  and  eighty  persons  had  been  shipped 
at  Toulon  for  Algeria,  and  now  every  week  a  fresh  contingent 


IN  OFFICE  207 

was  sent  off.  The  whole  country  trembled  in  the  terror 
which  like  a  black  storm  cloud  rolled  forth  from  the  room 
with  the  green  velvet  curtains  where  Rougon  laughed  aloud 
while  stretching  his  arms. 

The  great  man  had  never  before  tasted  such  complete 
contentment.  He  felt  well  and  strong,  and  was  putting  on 
flesh.  Health  had  come  back  to  him  with  his  return  to 
power.  When  he  walked  about  the  room  he  dug  his  heels 
into  the  carpet,  as  though  he  wanted  his  heavy  tread  to 
resound  throughout  France.  He  would  have  liked  to  shake 
the  comitry  by  merely  putting  his  empty  glass  down  on  the 
side-table  or  casting  aside  his  pen.  It  delighted  him  to  be  a 
source  of  fear,  to  forge  thunderbolts  amidst  the  smiling  grati- 
fication of  his  friends,  and  to  crush  a  whole  nation  with  his 
swollen  parvenu  fists.  In  one  of  his  circulars  he  had  written  : 
'  It  is  for  the  good  to  feel  confidence,  and  for  the  wicked  only 
to  tremble.'  He  revelled  in  playing  this  part  of  a  divinity, 
damning  some,  and  saving  others.  He  was  filled  with  mighty 
pride ;  his  idolatry  of  his  own  strength  and  intelligence  was 
becoming  a  real  religion  with  him. 

Among  the  new  men  who  had  sprung  up  with  the  Second 
Empire,  Rougon  had  long  been  known  as  a  partisan  of  strong 
government.  His  name  was  a  synonym  for  stern  repression, 
the  refusal  of  all  hberties  ;  despotic  rule,  in  fact.  All  knew 
therefore  what  they  had  to  expect  when  they  saw  him  called 
to  office.  To  his  intimate  friends,  however,  Rougon  un- 
bosomed himself.  He  did  not,  he  said,  so  much  hold  opinions 
as  feel  a  craving  for  power.  Power  had  too  much  attraction 
for  him,  and  was  too  essential  to  his  appetite  for  him  to  refuse 
it,  whatever  the  conditions  on  which  it  might  be  offered  to 
him. 

To  rule,  to  set  his  foot  on  the  neck  of  the  crowd,  was  his 
first  and  immediate  ambition  ;  the  rest  was  merely  secondary 
matter  to  which  he  could  easily  accommodate  himself.  The 
one  thing  which  he  really  wanted  was  to  be  chief.  It  so  hap- 
pened, however,  that  the  circumstances  under  which  he  was 
now  returning  to  power  made  his  success  very  pleasant.  The 
Emperor  had  given  him  complete  liberty  of  action,  and  he  was 
at  last  in  a  position  to  realise  his  old  dream  of  driving  the 
multitude  with  a  whip  like  a  herd  of  cattle.  Nothing  filled 
him  with  greater  satisfaction  than  to  know  that  he  was  feared 
and  disliked.  And  sometimes  when  his  friends  told  him  that 
he  was  a  tyrant,  he  smiled,  and  said  with  deep  meaning :  '  K 


2o8  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

I  should  become  a  liberal  some  day,  people  will  say  that  I 
have  changed.' 

Rougon's  very  greatest  joy  was  to  stand  triumphant  amidst 
those  friends  of  his.  He  forgot  France  and  the  obsequious 
functionaries  and  the  crowd  of  petitioners  who  besieged  his 
doors,  to  regale  himself  with  the  perpetual  admiration  of  his 
ten  or  twelve  intimate  associates.  His  office  was  open  to 
them  at  any  hour,  he  allowed  them  to  make  it  a  home,  to 
take  possession  of  his  chairs,  and  even  of  his  desk  itself ;  he 
told  them  that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  have  them  always  about 
him  like  a  pack  of  faithful  dogs.  It  was  not  he  alone,  but  the 
whole  coterie,  that  was  the  minister.  The  bonds  between 
them  seemed  to  be  drawn  closer  now  that  success  had  come, 
and  Rougon  began  to  love  his  followers  with  a  jealous  love, 
keeping  them  in  constant  communion  with  him,  feeling  as  if 
his  greatness  were  increased  by  their  several  ambitions.  He 
forgot  his  secret  contempt  for  them,  and  began  to  consider 
them  very  intelligent  and  able,  similar  to  himself.  He  parti- 
cularly desired,  moreover,  that  he  himself  should  be  respected 
in  their  persons,  and  defended  them  passionately  as  he  might 
have  defended  the  fingers  of  his  hands.  He  made  their 
quarrels  his  own,  and,  smiling  at  the  recollection  of  their 
long  endeavours  on  his  behalf,  he  even  ended  by  believing  that 
he  was  greatly  indebted  to  them.  Desiring  nothing  for  him- 
self, he  lavished  upon  them  all  the  fruits  of  office,  indulging 
to  repletion  in  the  pleasure  of  enhancing  the  brilliancy  of  his 
fortune  by  thus  scattering  the  gifts  at  his  disposal. 

However,  the  big  warm  room  remained  silent  for  some 
time.  Then  M.  d'Escorailles,  after  glancing  at  the  address 
on  one  of  the  envelopes  before  him,  handed  it  to  Rougon 
without  opening  it.  '  Here  is  a  letter  from  my  father,'  he 
said. 

Writing  in  a  strain  of  excessive  humility,  the  Marquis 
thanked  the  minister  for  having  appointed  Jules  to  be  his 
secretary.  There  were  two  pages  of  fine  writing  which 
Rougon  carefully  read.  Then  he  folded  the  letter  and  slipped 
it  into  his  pocket.  And  before  turning  to  his  work  again  he 
asked  :  '  Hasn't  Du  Poizat  written  ?  ' 

'  Yes,  sir,'  answered  the  secretary,  picking  a  letter  out  from 
among  the  others.  '  He  is  beginning  to  find  his  way  about  in 
his  prefecture.  He  says  that  Deux-Sevres,  and  the  town  of 
Niort  in  particular,  want  guiding  with  a  firm  hand.' 

Rougon  glanced  over  the  letter,  and  remarked  :  '  Certainly ; 


IN  OFFICE  209 

he  shall  have  all  the  authority  he  requires.  There  is  no 
occasion  to  send  him  any  reply.  l\Iy  circular  will  be 
sufficient.' 

Then  he  took  up  his  pen  again,  and  cudgelled  his  brains 
for  some  suitable  concluding  sentences.  Du  Poizat  had  par- 
ticularly wished  to  be  prefect  at  Niort,  in  his  own  native 
district,  and  the  minister,  when  taking  any  important  decision, 
invarialjly  thought  of  the  department  of  Deux- Sevres,  and 
governed  France  in  accordance  with  the  opinions  and  neces- 
sities of  his  old  comrade  in  poverty.  Just  as  he  was  at  last 
finishing  his  circular  to  the  prefects,  something  seemed  to 
irritate  M.  Kahn. 

'  It  is  abominable !  '  the  latter  exclaimed ;  and,  rapping 
the  newspaper  he  was  reading,  he  turned  to  Eougon,  and 
cried  :  '  Have  you  read  this  ?  There  is  a  leading  article  here 
appealing  to  the  basest  passions.  Just  listen  to  this  :  "  The 
hand  that  punishes  should  be  impeccable,  for,  if  justice  mis- 
carries, the  very  bonds  which  unite  society  loosen  of  their  own 
accord."  You  understand  the  insinuation,  eh?  And,  here 
again,  among  the  miscellaneous  paragraphs,  there's  a  story 
about  a  Countess  eloping  with  the  son  of  a  corn-factor.  The 
papers  ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  publish  such  things.  It 
tends  to  destroy  the  people's  respect  for  the  upper  classes.' 

'  But  the  serial  story  is  still  more  odious,'  interposed 
M.  d'Escorailles.  '  It's  all  about  a  wife,  a  woman  of  good 
breeding,  who  betrays  her  husband.  And  the  author  does 
not  even  make  her  feel  any  remorse.' 

Rougon  made  an  angry  gesture.  '  Yes,'  he  said,  *  my 
attention  has  already  been  called  to  that  number.  You  will 
see  that  I  have  marked  certain  passages  with  a  red  pencil. 
And  it  is  one  of  our  own  papers,  too  !  Every  day  I  am  obliged 
to  go  over  it  hne  by  line.  Ah  !  the  best  of  them  are  bad  ;  we 
ought  to  suppress  them  all ! '  Then,  compressing  his  lips,  he 
added,  in  a  lower  tone  :  '  I  have  sent  for  the  editor,  and  am 
expecting  him  here  presently.' 

The  colonel  had  taken  the  paper  from  M.  Kahn.  He  also 
soon  vented  expressions  of  indignation,  and  then  handed  the 
print  to  M,  Bejuin,  who  hkewise  showed  his  disgust. 
Rougon,  in  the  meanwhile,  was  resting  his  elbows  on  his 
table  and  reflecting,  with  eyes  half-closed. 

'  By  the  way,'  he  said,  turning  to  his  secretary,  '  that  poor 
Huguenin  died  yesterday.  That  leaves  an  inspectorship 
vacant.     We  shall  have  to  appoint  somebody  to  it.'     Then,  as 


2IO  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

the  three  friends  sitting  before  the  fire  briskly  raised  their 
heads,  he  continued  :  '  Oh,  it's  a  post  of  no  importance.  Six 
thousand  francs  a  year.  But  it's  true  that  there's  absolutely 
nothing  to  do ' 

However,  he  was  interrupted  by  a  person  opening  the  door 
of  an  adjoining  room. 

*  Oh,  come  in,  Monsieur  Bouchard,  come  in  ! '  he  cried, 
'  I  was  just  going  to  call  for  you.' 

Bouchard,  who  had  been  appointed  head  of  department  a 
week  previously,  had  brought  with  him  a  memorandum  about  the 
mayors  and  prefects  who  had  asked  for  the  crosses  of  chevaher 
and  officer  in  the  Legion  of  Honour.  Kougon  had  twenty-five 
crosses  to  dispose  of  among  the  most  meritorious  of  the  appli- 
cants. He  took  the  memorandum,  read  over  the  names  and 
consulted  various  papers,  while  M.  Bouchard  went  up  to  the 
fire  and  shook  hands  with  the  three  others.  Then,  with  his 
back  against  the  mantelpiece,  and  his  coat-tails  raised  in  order 
that  he  might  warm  his  legs,  the  chief  of  department  said  : 
'  A  miserably  wet  day,  isn't  it  ?  We  shall  have  a  late 
spring.' 

'  It's  awful,'  replied  the  colonel,  *  I  feel  one  of  my  attacks 
coming  on.     T  had  shooting  pains  in  my  left  foot  all  night.' 

'  And  how  is  your  wife  ?  '  asked  M.  Kahn  after  a  short 
pause. 

'  Thank  you,  she  is  very  well,'  replied  M.  Bouchard. 
'  I  am  expecting  to  see  her  here  this  morning.' 

Then  there  was  another  pause.  Eougon  was  still  examin- 
ing the  papers.  As  he  came  to  a  certain  name,  he  stopped. 
'Isidore  Gaudibert— that  isn't  the  man  who  writes  verses, 
is  it  ? ' 

'  Yes,  that  is  the  man,'  ]\I.  Bouchard  answered.  *  He  has 
been  Mayor  of  Barbeville  since  1852.  On  every  happy  event, 
the  Emperor's  marriage,  the  Empress's  confinement,  and  the 
Prince  Imperial's  baptism,  he  has  sent  charming  verses  to 
their  Majesties.' 

The  minister  pouted  scornfully.  The  colonel,  however, 
asserted  that  he  had  read  the  odes  and  thought  them  very 
fine.  He  referred  to  one  in  particular,  in  which  the  Emperor 
was  compared  to  a  piece  of  fireworks.  Then  without  any 
transition  the  friends  began  to  eulogise  the  Empei'or.  They 
were  all  enthusiastic  Bonapartists  now.  The  two  cousins,  the 
colonel  and  M.  Bouchard,  were  completely  reconciled,  and, 
instead  of   throwing  the  Orleans  Princes  and  the  Count   de 


IN  OFFICE  211 

Chambord  at  each  other's  head,  rivalled  in  singing  their 
sovereign's  praise. 

'Oh,  no!  not  this  one!'  Kougon  suddenly  exclaimed. 
'  This  Jusselin  is  a  creature  of  Marsy's.  There  is  no  call  for 
me  to  reward  the  friends  of  my  predecessor.'  Then  with 
a  stroke  of  his  pen,  that  cut  through  the  paper,  he  effaced  the 
name.  '  But  we  must  find  some  one,'  he  resiimed.  •  It  is  an 
officer's  cross.' 

The  friends  sat  perfectly  still.  M.  d'Escorailles,  notwith- 
standing his  extreme  youth,  had  received  the  chevalier's  cross 
a  week  previously.  M.  Kahn  and  M.  Bouchard  were  already 
officers,  and  the  colonel  had  just  been   named   commander. 

*  Well,  let  us  see  :  an  officer's  cross,'  said  Eougon, 
beginning  to  refer  to  his  papers  again.  But  he  stopped  short 
as  if  struck  by  a  sudden  idea.  '  Aren't  yoa  mayor  of  some 
place  or  other,  Monsieur  Bejuin  ?  '  he  inquired. 

M.  Bejuin  contented  himself  wit.h  nodding  twice,  but 
M.  Kahn  answered  more  fully  for  him.  '  Yes,'  said  he  ;  '  he 
is  Mayor  of  Saint  Florent,  the  little  commune  where  his  glass 
works  are.' 

'  Well,  then,  that's  settled  !  '  said  the  minister,  delighted  to 
have  an  opportunity  of  advancing  one  of  his  friends.  '  You 
never  ask  for  anything  for  yourself.  Monsieur  Bejuin,  so  I. 
must  look  after  you.' 

M.  Bejuin  smiled  and  expressed  his  thanks.  It  was  quite 
true  that  he  never  asked  for  anything,  but  he  was  always 
there,  silent  and  modest,  on  the  look-out  for  such  crumbs 
as  might  fall,  and  ready  to  pick  them  up. 

'Leon  Bejuin -isn't  it? — in  the  place  of  Pierre  Fran9ois 
Jusselin,'  continued  Rougon,  as  he  altered  the  names. 

'Bejuin,  Jusselin  ;  they  rhyme,'  observed  the  Colonel. 

This  remark  struck  the  comi)any  as  being  very  witty,  and 
caused  a  deal  of  laughter.  At  last  M.  Bouchard  took  the 
signed  documents  away,  and  Rougon  rose.  His  legs  were 
paining  him  a  little,  he  said.     The  wet  weather  affected  him. 

However,  the  morning  was  weai'ing  on  ;  a  hum  of  life 
came  from  the  various  oiiices ;  quick  steps  resounded  in  the 
neighbouring  rooms ;  doors  were  opened  and  closed,  and 
whispers  half-stifled  by  the  velvet  hangings  were  wafted  hither 
and  thither.  Several  clerks  came  into  the  room  to  obtain  the 
minister's  signature  to  other  documents.  It  was  a  continual 
coming  and  going,  the  administrative  machine  was  in  full 
work,  throwing  out  an  enormous  number  of  documents  which 

?3 


212  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

were  carried  from  office  to  office.  And  amidst  all  this  hurrying 
to  and  fro,  a  score  of  people  were  wearily  waiting  in  the  ante- 
room till  his  excellency  should  be  graciously  pleased  to  receive 
them.  Kougon,  meantime,  began  to  display  feverish  activity 
and  enei'gy  ;  giving  orders  in  a  whisper  in  one  corner  of  his 
room,  then  suddenly  storming  at  some  official  in  another, 
allotting  some  task,  or  deciding  a  knotty  question  with  a  word, 
while  he  stood  there,  huge  and  domineering,  his  neck  swollen, 
and  his  face  a  picture  of  strength. 

However,  Merle  came  into  the  room  again  with  that  quiet 
composure  which  no  rebuffs  could  ruffle.  '  The  prefect  of  the 
Somme '  he  began. 

*  Again  !  '  interrupted  Kougon  violently. 

The  usher  bowed  and  then  resumed,  *  The  prefect  of  the 
Somme  has  begged  me  to  ask  your  excellency  if  you  can  receive 
him  this  morning.  If  your  excellency  cannot,  then  he  would 
be  much  obliged  to  your  excellency  if  you  would  kindly  fix 
a  time  for  to-morrow.' 

'  I  will  see  him  this  morning.  Confound  it  all,  let  him 
have  a  little  patience  ! ' 

Merle  had  left  the  door  open,  and  the  ante-room  could  be 
seen.  It  was  a  spacious  apartment,  with  a  large  table  in  the 
centre  and  a  line  of  arm-chairs,  covered  with  red  velvet,  along 
the  walls.  All  the  chairs  were  occupied,  and  there  were  even 
two  ladies  standing  by  the  table.  Every  face  was  turned 
towards  the  minister's  room,  with  a  wistful,  supplicating 
expression,  as  if  seeking  permission  to  enter.  Near  the  door, 
the  prefect  of  the  Somme,  a  pale  little  man,  was  talking  with 
his  colleagues  from  the  Jura  and  the  Cher.  He  was  on  the 
point  of  rising,  in  the  expectation  that  he  was  at  last  about  to 
be  received  in  audience,  when  Rougon  agam  spoke.  '  In  ten 
minutes,'  he  said  to  Merle.  'Just  at  present  I  cannot  see 
anyone.' 

While  he  was  speaking,  however,  he  caught  sight  of 
M.  Beulin-d'Orchere  crossing  the  ante-chamber,  and  thereupon 
he  darted  forward,  and  drew  him  by  the  hand  into  his  private 
room. 

*  Come  in,  my  friend,  come  in  ! '  he  exclaimed.  '  You 
have  just  come,  haven't  you  ?  You  haven't  been  waiting  ? 
WeU,  what  news  have  you  brought  ? ' 

Then  Merle  closed  the  door,  and  the  occupants  of  the  ante- 
chamber were  left  in  silence  and  consternation.  Rougon  and 
M.  BeuHn-d'Orchere  talked  together  in  whispers  near  one  of 


IN  OFFICE  213 

the  windows.  The  judge,  who  had  recently  been  appointed 
first  president  of  the  Court  of  Paris,  was  ambitious  of  holding 
the  Seals  ;  but  the  Emperor,  when  sounded  on  the  matter, 
had  shown  himself  quite  impenetrable. 

'  Very  good,  very  good,'  said  Eougon,  suddenly  raising  his 
voice.  '  Your  information  is  excellent.  I  will  take  steps,  I 
promise  you.' 

He  was  just  showing  the  judge  out  by  way  of  his  private 
room,  when  Merle  appeared  once  more.  '  Monsieur  La  Rou- 
quette,'  he  announced  this  time. 

'  No,  no  !  I  am  busy,  and  he  bores  me,'  said  Eougon, 
signing  energetically  to  the  usher  to  close  the  door. 

M.  La  Rouquette  distinctly  heard  what  was  said  ;  still, 
this  did  not  prevent  him  from  entering  the  minister's  room 
with  a  smiling  face.  '  How  is  your  excellency  ? '  he  said, 
offering  his  hand.  '  It's  my  sister  who  has  sent  me.  You 
seemed  a  little  tired  at  the  Tuileries  yesterday.  You  know 
that  a  proverb  is  to  be  acted  in  the  Empress's  apartments 
next  Monday.  My  sister  is  taking  a  part  in  it.  Combelot 
has  designed  the  costumes.     You  will  come,  won't  you  ?  ' 

He  stood  there  for  a  whole  quarter  of  an  hour  prattling 
away  in  wheedling  fashion,  addressing  Eougon  sometimes  as 
'  your  'excellency,'  and  sometimes  as  '  dear  master.'  He 
di'agged  in  a  few  stories  of  the  minor  theatres,  praised  a  ballet 
girl,  and  begged  for  a  line  to  the  director  of  the  tobacco 
manufactory  so  that  he  might  get  some  good  cigars.  And  he 
concluded  by  saying  some  abominable  things  about  M.  de 
Marsy,  though  still  continuing  to  jest. 

'  Well,  he's  not  such  a  bad  fellow,  after  all,'  remarked 
Eougon,  when  the  young  deputy  had  taken  himself  off.  '  I 
must  go  and  dip  my  face  in  the  basin.  ^ly  cheeks  feel  as  if 
they  were  burning.' 

He  disappeared  for  a  moment  behind  a  curtain,  and  then 
a  great  splashing  of  water,  accompanied  by  snorting  and 
blowing,  was  heard.  Meantime,  M.  d'Escorailles,  who  had 
finished  classifying  his  letters,  took  a  little  file  with  a  tortoise- 
shell  handle  from  his  pocket,  and  began  to  trim  his  nails. 
M.  Bejuin  and  the  colonel  were  still  gazing  up  at  the  ceihng,  so 
buried  in  their  easy-chairs  that  it  seemed  doubtful  whether 
they  would  ever  be  able  to  get  out  of  them  again.  M.  Kahn, 
however,  was  going  through  a  heap  of  newspapers  on  a  table 
near  him.  He  just  turned  them  over,  glanced  at  their  titles, 
and  then  threw  them  aside.     Then  he  got  up. 


214  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

'  Are  you  going '? '  asked  Rougon,  who  now  reappeared, 
wiping  his  face  with  a  towel. 

'  Yes,'  replied  M.  Kahn,  '  I've  read  the  papers,  so  I'm  off.' 

Rougon,  however,  asked  him  to  wait  a  moment.  And 
then,  taking  him  aside,  he  told  him  that  he  hoped  to  go  down 
to  Deux- Sevres  during  the  following  week,  to  attend  the 
inauguration  of  the  operations  for  the  new  line  from  Niort  to 
Angers.  He  had  several  reasons,  he  said,  for  wishing  to  visit 
the  district.  At  this  M.  Kahn  manifested  great  delight.  He 
had  succeeded  in  getting  the  grant  early  in  March,  and  was 
now  floating  the  scheme.  And  he  was  conscious  of  the  addi- 
tional importance  which  the  minister's  presence  would  lend  to 
the  initial  ceremony,  the  details  of  which  he  was  already 
arranging. 

*  Then  I  may  reckon  upon  you  to  fire  the  first  mine  ? '  he 
said,  as  he  took  his  leave. 

Rougon  had  returned  to  his  writing-table,  where  he  was 
consulting  a  list  of  names.  The  crowd  in  the  ante-room  was 
now  growing  more  and  more  impatient.  '  I've  barely  got  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,'  he  said,     '  Well,  I'll  see  such  as  I  can.' 

Then  he  rang  his  bell,  and,  when  Merle  appeared,  he  said 
to  him  :  '  Show  in  the  prefect  of  the  Somme.'  But  he  imme- 
diately added,  still  keeping  his  eyes  on  the  list  of  names  : 
'  Wait  a  moment.  Are  Monsieur  and  Madame  Charbonnel 
there  ?     Show  them  in.' 

The  usher's  voice  could  be  heard  calling  out,  '  Monsieur 
and  Madame  Charbonnel.'  And  thereupon  the  couple  from 
Plassans  appeared,  followed  by  the  astonished  eyes  of  the 
other  occupants  of  the  ante-chamber.  M.  Charbonnel  wore  a 
dress-coat  with  square  tails  and  a  velvet  collar,  and  Madame 
Charbonnel  was  dressed  in  puce  silk,  with  a  bonnet  trimmed 
with  yellow  ribbons.  They  had  been  patiently  waiting  for 
two  hours. 

'  You  ought  to  have  sent  your  card  in  to  me,'  said  Rougon. 
'  Merle  knows  you.'  Then,  interrupting  their  stammering 
greeting,  in  which  the  words  '  your  excellency '  again  and 
again  recurred,  he  gaily  exclaimed  :  '  Victory  !  The  Council 
of  State  has  given  judgment.  We  have  beaten  that  terrible 
bishop  ! ' 

The  old  lady's  emotion  upon  hearing  this  was  so  great 
that  she  was  obliged  to  sit  down,  while  her  husband  leant  for 
support  against  an  arm-chair. 

'I  learned  this  good  news  yesterday  evening,'  the  minister 


IN  OFFICE  215 

continued.  *  And  as  I  was  anxious  to  tell  it  to  you,  myself, 
I  asked  you  to  come  here.  It's  a  pretty  little  windfall,  five 
hundred  thousand  francs,  eh  ?  ' 

He  began  to  jest,  feeling  quite  happy  at  the  sight  of  the 
emotion  on  their  faces.  Some  time  elapsed  before  Madame 
Charbonnel,  in  a  choldng  timorous  voice,  could  ask :  '  Is  it 
really  all  over,  then  ?  Keally  ?  Can't  they  start  the  suit 
again  ? ' 

'  No,  no ;  be  quite  easy  about  it,'  answered  Rougon.  *  The 
fortune  is  yours.' 

Then  he  gave  them  certam  particulars.  The  Council  of 
State  had  refused  to  allow  the  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Family  to 
take  possession  of  the  bequest  upon  the  ground  that  natural 
heirs  were  living,  and  that  the  will  did  not  present  the  neces- 
sary appearances  of  genuineness.  ]\Iouseigneur  Rochart  was 
in  a  terrible  rage,  said  Rougon ;  he  had  met  the  bishop  the 
previous  day  at  the  Ministry  of  Public  Instruction,  and  stiU 
laughed  at  the  recollection  of  his  angry  looks.  He  seemed, 
indeed,  quite  delighted  with  his  triumph  over  the  prelate. 

'  His  Grace  hasn't  been  able  to  gobble  me  up,  you  see,'  he 
continued  ;  '  I  am  too  big  a  mouthful  for  him.  I  don't  think, 
though,  that  it's  all  over  between  us.  I  could  see  that  by  the 
look  of  his  eyes.  He  is  a  man  who  never  forgets  anything,  I 
should  imagine.     However,  the  rest  will  be  my  own  business.' 

The  Charbonnels  were  profuse  in  their  expressions  of 
gratitude  and  respect.  They  should  leave  Paris  that  same 
evening,  they  said  ;  for  all  at  once  great  anxiety  had  come 
upon  them.  Their  cousin  Chevassu's  house,  at  Faverolles, 
had  been  left  in  the  charge  of  a  bigoted  old  woman  who  was 
extremely  devoted  to  the  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Family,  and  on 
learning  the  issue  of  the  trial  she  might  perhaps  strip  the 
house  of  its  contents  and  go  off  with  them.  The  Sisters,  said 
the  Charbonnels,  were  capable  of  anything. 

*  Yes,  get  off  this  evening,'  the  minister  advised.  '  If  any- 
thing should  happen  to  bother  you  down  there,  just  write  and 
let  me  know  about  it.' 

Then  on  opening  the  door  to  show  them  out,  he  noticed 
the  marked  astonishment  of  the  occupants  of  the  ante- 
chamber. The  prefect  of  the  Somme  was  exchanging  a  smile 
with  his  colleagues  of  the  Jura  and  the  Cher,  while  an  ex- 
pression of  scorn  wreathed  the  lips  of  the  two  ladies  standing 
by  the  table.  And  thereupon  Rougon  raised  his  voice,  say- 
ing :    '  You  will  write  to  me,  won't  you  ?     You  know  how 


2i6  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

devoted  I  am  to  you.     When  you  get  to  Plassans  tell  my 
mother  that  I  am  in  good  health.' 

Thus  speaking,  he  crossed  the  ante-chamber  with  them, 
accompanying  them  to  the  outer  door  so  as  to  exalt  them 
before  all  the  waitmg  people,  feeling  in  no  wise  ashamed  of 
them,  but  proud,  rather,  of  having  come  himself  from  their 
little  town,  and  of  now  being  able  to  raise  them  as  high  as  he 
pleased.  And  the  favour-seekers  and  the  functionaries  bowed 
low,  doing  reverence,  as  it  were,  to  the  puce  silk  gown  and 
square-tailed  coat  of  the  Charbonnels. 

When  Rougon  returned  to  his  own  room,  he  found  that 
the  colonel  had  risen  from  his  chair. 

'  Good-bye  till  this  evening,'  said  Jobelin.  *  It's  getting 
rather  too  warm  in  here.' 

Then  he  bent  forward  to  whisper  a  few  words  concerning 
his  son  Auguste,  whom  he  was  about  to  remove  from  college, 
as  he  quite  despaired  of  the  young  fellow  ever  passing  his 
examination.  Rougon  had  promised  to  take  him  into  his 
office,  although  according  to  the  regulations  all  the  clerks 
ought  to  hold  a  bachelor's  degree. 

'  Very  well,  bring  him  here,'  said  the  minister.  'I  will 
have  the  regulation  relaxed ;  I  will  manage  it  somehow. 
And  he  shall  have  a  salary  at  once,  as  you  are  anxious 
about  it.' 

Thereupon  the  colonel  went  ofif,  and  M.  Bejuin  remained 
alone  in  front  of  the  fire.  He  wheeled  his  chair  into  a 
central  position,  and  seemed  quite  unaware  that  the  room 
was  growing  empty.  He  always  remained  in  this  fashion 
till  every  one  else  had  gone,  in  the  hope  of  being  offered 
something  which  had  been  hitherto  forgotten. 

Merle  now  received  orders  to  introduce  the  prefect  of  the 
Somme.  Instead  of  going  to  the  door,  however,  he  stepped 
up  to  the  writing-table.  *  If  your  excellency  will  kindly 
permit  me,'  he  said,  with  a  pleasant  smile,  '  I  will  at  once 
acquit  myself  of  a  little  commission.' 

Eougon  rested  his  elbows  on  his  blotting-pad  and  listened. 

'  It  is  about  poor  Madame  Correur,'  continued  Merle.  '  I 
went  to  see  her  this  morning.  She  was  in  bed.  She  has  got 
a  nasty  boil  in  a  very  awkward  place  ;  such  a  big  one  too ; 
and  although  there  is  nothing  dangerous  about  it,  it  gives 
her  a  great  deal  of  pain.' 

*  Well  ?  '  said  the  minister. 

*  Well,  the  poor  lady  very  much  wanted  to  come  and  see 


IN  OFFICE  217 

your  excellency  to  get  the  answers  you  had  promised  her. 
Just  as  I  was  coming  away,  she  asked  me  if  I  would  bring 
her  them  after  my  day's  work.  Would  your  excellency  be 
so  good  as  to  let  me  do  so  ? ' 

The  minister  quietly  turned  and  said :  *  Monsieur 
d'Escorailles,  give  me  those  papers  there,  in  that  cupboard.' 

It  was  to  a  collection  of  documents  concerning  Madame 
Correur  that  he  referred.  They  were  tightly  packed  in  a 
large  case  of  stout  grey  paper.  There  were  letters,  and  plans, 
and  petitions,  in  all  kinds  of  writing  and  spelling  ;  requests 
for  tobacco-agencies,  for  licenses  to  sell  stamps,  petitions  for 
pecuniary  assistance,  grants  and  pensions.  Each  sheet  bore 
a  marginal  note  of  five  or  six  lines,  followed  by  Madame 
Correur's  big  masculine-looking  signature. 

Rougon  turned  the  papers  over  and  glanced  at  some 
brief  memoranda  which  he  himself  had  written  on  them  with 
a  red  pencil :  '  Madame  Jalaguier's  pension  is  raised  to 
eighteen  hundred  francs,'  he  said.  '  A  tobacco-agency  is 
granted  to  Madame  Leturc.  Madame  Chardon's  tender  is 
accepted.  Nothing  has  yet  been  done  in  Madame  Testaniere's 
matter.  Ah  !  you  can  say,  too,  that  I  have  been  successful 
in  Mademoiselle  Herminie  Billecoq's  case.  I  have  mentioned 
it  to  some  ladies  who  will  provide  the  dowry  necessary  for 
her  marriage  with  the  officer  who  seduced  her.' 

'  I  thank  your  excellency  a  thousand  times,'  said  Merle, 
with  a  low  bow. 

As  he  was  going  out,  a  charming  blonde  head,  surmounted 
by  a  pink  bonnet,  peeped  in  at  the  door,  and  a  fluty  voice 
inquired  :  '  Can  I  come  in  ?  ' 

Then,  without  waiting  for  a  reply,  Madame  Bouchard 
entered  the  room.  She  had  not  seen  the  usher  in  the  ante- 
chamber, so  she  had  come  straight  on.  Rougon,  who 
addressed  her  as  *  my  dear  child,'  asked  her  to  sit  down,  after 
momentarily  detaining  her  little  gloved  hands  within  his 
own.  '  Have  you  come  about  anything  important  ? '  he 
asked. 

'  Yes,  very  important,'  answered  Lladame  Bouchard  with 
a  smile. 

Rougon  thereupon  told  Merle  to  admit  nobody.  M. 
d'Escorailles,  who  had  just  finished  trimming  his  nails,  had 
advanced  to  greet  Madame  Bouchard.  She  signed  to  him  to 
stoop,  and  immediately  whispered  a  few  words  to  him.  He 
nodded  assent,  and  then,  taking  his  hat,  turned  to  Rougon, 


2i8  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

saying :  '  I'm  going  to  breakfast.  There  doesn't  seem  to 
be  anything  else  of  importance  excepting  that  matter  of  the 
inspectorship.     We  shall  have  to  give  it  to  someone.' 

The  minister  looked  perplexed.  '  Yes,  certainly,'  he  said, 
*we  shall  have  to  appoint  somebody.  A  whole  heap  of  men 
have  already  been  suggested  to  me ;  but  I  don't  care  to 
appoint  people  whom  I  don't  know.' 

Then  he  glanced  round  the  room  as  though  trying  to  find 
somebody,  and  his  eye  fell  upon  M.  Bejuin,  still  silently 
lounging  before  the  fire,  with  an  expression  of  complete 
unconcern  upon  his  face. 

'  Monsieur  Bejuin,'  said  Eougon. 

M.  Bejuin  opened  his  eyes,  but  remained  quite  still. 

*  Would  you  like  to  be  an  inspector  ?  '  added  the  minister. 
*  I  may  tell  you  that  it's  a  post  worth  six  thousand  francs  a 
year.  There  is  nothing  to  do,  and  the  place  is  quite  com- 
patible with  your  position  as  a  deputy.' 

M.  Bejuin  nodded  gently.  Yes,  yes,  he  would  accept  the 
post.  And  so  the  matter  was  settled.  However,  he  still 
lingered  before  the  fire  for  a  few  more  minutes,  when  it 
probably  struck  him  that  there  was  no  likelihood  of  his  pick- 
ing up  any  more  crumbs  that  morning,  for  with  a  dragging 
step  he  took  himself  off  in  the  rear  of  M.  d'Escorailles. 

'  There  !  we  are  alone  now  !  Come,  my  dear  child,  what's 
the  matter  ? '  said  Eougon  to  pretty  Madame  Bouchard. 

He  wheeled  up  an  easy-chair  and  sat  down  in  front  of 
her  in  the  centre  of  the  room.  And  then  for  the  first  time 
he  noticed  her  dress.  It  was  of  very  soft  pale  rose  cashmere, 
and  hung  round  her  in  close,  clinging  folds.  There  seemed, 
also,  to  be  something  very  bewitching  about  her  appearance 
that  morning. 

'  Well,  what's  the  matter  ?  '  repeated  Rougon. 

Madame  Bouchard  smiled  without  making  any  immediate 
answer.  She  sat  back  in  her  chair,  with  parted  lips  showing 
her  pearly  white  teeth.  Little  curls  peeped  from  under  her 
pink  bonnet,  and  there  was  a  coaxing  expression  on  her  little 
face,  an  air  of  mingled  supplication  and  submission. 

'  It  is  something  I  want  to  ask  of  you,'  she  murmured  at 
last ;  and  then,  in  an  animated  way,  she  added :  '  Promise  me 
that  you'll  do  it.' 

But  Rougon  would  promise  nothing.  He  wanted  to  know 
what  it  was  first.  He  mistrusted  ladies.  And  as  she  bent 
towards  him,  he  said  to  her  :  '  Is  it  something  very  unusual, 


IN  OFFICE  219 

that  you  daren't  tell  me  ?  Well,  I  must  get  it  out  of  you  by 
questions.  Let  us  set  about  it  methodically.  Is  it  something 
for  your  husband  ?  ' 

But  Madame  Bouchard  shook  her  head,  while  still  con- 
tinuing to  smile. 

'  No  1  Is  it  for  Monsieur  d'Escorailles,  then  ?  You  were 
plotting  something  together  in  whispers  a  little  while  ago.' 

But  Madame  Bouchard  again  shook  her  head  ;  and  pulled 
a  pretty  Httle  face  which  clearly  signified  that  it  had  been 
necessary  for  her  to  get  rid  of  M.  d'Escorailles.  Then,  as 
Rougon  was  wondering  what  it  could  be  that  she  wanted,  she 
drew  her  chair  still  nearer  to  him.  '  You  won't  scold  me,  will 
you  ?  '  she  said.  '  You  do  like  me  a  little,  don't  you  ?  Well, 
it's  for  a  young  man.  You  don't  know  him,  but  I'll  tell  you 
his  name  directly,  when  you  have  promised  to  give  him  the 
post.  Oh,  it's  quite  an  insignificant  one  that  I  want  for  him. 
You  will  only  have  to  say  a  word  and  we  shall  be  very,  very 
grateful  to  you.' 

'  Is  he  a  relation  of  yours  ?  '  Eougon  inquired. 

Madame  Bouchard  sighed  deeply,  glanced  at  him  with 
languishing  eyes,  and  then  let  her  hands  slip  down  so  that 
Rougon  might  take  them  in  his  own.  And  finally  in  a  very 
low  voice,  she  replied  :  '  No,  he's  a  friend  of  mine — a  par- 
ticular friend— Oh  !  I  am  very  unhappy  ! ' 

Her  eyes  added  all  that  she  left  unsaid. 

'  But  this  is  very  shocking  ! '  exclaimed  the  minister,  and 
then,  as  she  still  leant  towards  him,  raising  her  little  gloved 
hand  to  his  lips  to  silence  him,  he  roughly  repulsed  her,  com- 
pelling her  to  rise  to  her  feet.  She  remained  before  him  with 
pale  lips  and  downcast  eyes.  '  Yes,  it  is  disgraceful !  abomin- 
able ! '  he  continued.  '  Monsieur  Bouchard  is  an  excellent 
man.  He  worships  you.  He  trusts  you  with  blind  confidence. 
No,  no,  indeed  !  1  will  certainly  not  help  you  to  deceive  him. 
I  refuse,  refuse  absolutely,  do  you  hear  ?  It  is  of  no  use 
mincing  words  with  you,  my  pretty  young  woman  !  ' 

Then  he  checked  himself,  and,  gradually  becoming  calmer, 
assumed  an  air  of  great  dignity.  Seeing  that  Madame 
Bouchard  had  begun  to  tremble,  he  made  her  sit  down  again 
while  he  himself  remained  erect,  lecturing  her  severely.  It 
was  a  real  sermon  that  he  preached  to  her.  He  told  her  that 
she  was  offending  against  all  laws,  both  human  and  divine  ; 
that  she  was  standing  on  the  brink  of  a  precipice,  and  prepar- 
ing for  herself  an  old  age  full  of  remorse.     Then,  fancying 


220  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

that  he  could  detect  a  faint  smile  hovering  round  the  corners 
of  her  lips,  he  proceeded  to  draw  a  picture  of  the  old  age  he 
predicted,  when  her  beauty  would  be  in  ruins,  her  heart  for  ever 
empty,  and  her  brow  flushed  with  shame  beneath  her  white 
hair.  And  afterwards  he  discussed  her  conduct  from  a  social 
point  of  view,  in  this  respect  showing  much  severity,  and  he 
went  on  to  rail  at  modern  licentiousness,  at  the  disgraceful 
dissoluteness  of  the  times.  Then  he  spoke  of  himself.  He 
was  the  guardian  of  the  laws,  he  said,  and  could  never  abuse 
his  power  by  lending  himself  to  the  encouragement  of  vice. 
Without  virtue  it  seemed  to  him  that  government  was  impos- 
sible. Finally,  he  concluded  by  defying  his  enemies  to  name 
a  single  act  of  nepotism  in  his  administration,  a  single  favour 
granted  by  him  that  was  due  to  intrigue. 

Pretty  Madame  Bouchard  listened  with  downcast  bead, 
huddling  herself  up  in  her  chair  and  letting  her  delicate  neck 
show  from  under  the  ribbons  of  her  pink  bonnet.  When 
Kougon  had  at  last  finished  speaking,  she  rose  and  made  her 
way  to  the  door,  without  saying  a  word.  But  as  she  laid  her 
fingers  upon  the  handle,  she  raised  her  head  and  began  to 
smile  again.  '  He  is  named  Georges  Duchesne,'  she  mur- 
mured. '  He  is  principal  clerk  in  my  husband's  division,  and 
wants  to  be  assistant ' 

'  No,  no  !  '  cried  Rougon. 

Then  she  slowly  left  the  room,  casting  a  long  contemp- 
tuous glance  at  the  minister,  who  came  back  from  the  door  with 
an  expression  of  weariness  on  his  face.  He  had  beckoned  to 
Merle  to  follow  him.     The  door  remained  ajar. 

'  The  editor  of  the  Yc&u  National,  whom  your  excellency 
sent  for,  has  just  arrived,'  said  the  usher  in  a  low  tone. 

'  Very  good,'  replied  Rougon ;  '  but  I'll  see  the  officials 
who  have  been  waiting  so  long  first.' 

Just  at  that  moment,  however,  a  valet  appeared  at  the 
door  which  led  to  the  minister's  private  apartments,  and 
announced  that  drjeuner  was  ready,  and  that  Madame  Delestang 
was  waiting  for  his  excellency  in  the  drawing  room. 

At  this  Rougon  stepped  forward.  '  Tell  them  to  serve 
at  once,'  he  replied  briskly.  '  Bo  much  the  worse  for  the 
gentlemen ;  I  will  see  them  afterwards.  I'm  frightfully 
hungry.' 

Then  he  just  popped  his  head  through  the  doorway  and 
gave  a  glance  round  the  ante-room,  which  was  still  full.  Not 
a  functionary  or  a  petitioner  had  moved.     The  three  prefects 


IN  OFFICE  221 

were  still  talking  together  in  their  corner.  The  two  ladies 
by  the  table  were  leaning  upon  their  finger-tips,  as  if  a  little 
weary.  The  same  people  sat  motionless  and  silent  in  the  red 
velvet  chairs  along  the  walls.  Then  Rougon  left  his  room, 
giving  Merle  orders  to  detain  the  prefect  of  the  Somme  and 
the  editor  of  the  VaiiL  National. 

IMadame  Rougon,  who  was  not  very  well,  had  left  on  the 
previous  evening  for  the  South  of  France,  where  she  was 
going  to  stay  for  a  month.  She  had  an  uncle  living  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Pau.  On  the  other  hand,  Deleslang  had 
been  in  Italy  for  the  last  six  weeks,  on  an  important  mission 
connected  with  agriculture.  And  thus  it  came  about  that  the 
minister  had  invited  Clorinde,  who  wanted  to  have  a  long  talk 
with  him,  to  partake  of  dejeuner  at  his  official  residence. 

Patiently  waiting  for  him,  she  was  beguiling  the  time  by 
glancing  through  a  la^v-treatise  which  she  had  found  upon  a 
table. 

'  You  must  be  getting  dreadfully  hungry,'  he  said  to  her 
gaily  as  he  entered  the  drawing-room.  '  I've  had  a  tremendous 
lot  to  do  this  morning.' 

Then  he  gave  her  his  arm  and  conducted  her  into  the 
dining-room,  an  immense  apartment  where  the  little  table, 
laid  for  two,  near  a  window,  seemed  quite  lost.  A  couple  of 
tall  footmen  waited  upon  them.  Rougon  and  Clorinde,  who 
both  preserved  a  very  serious  demeanour,  ate  rapidly.  Their 
meal  consisted  of  a  few  radishes,  a  slice  of  cold  salmon,  some 
cutlets  with  mashed  potatoes,  and  a  little  cheese.  They  took 
no  wine — Rougon  drank  nothing  but  water  of  a  morning — ■ 
and  they  scarcely  exchanged  a  dozen  words.  Then,  when  the 
two  footmen  had  cleared  the  table  and  brought  in  the  coffee 
and  liqueurs,  Clorinde  glanced  at  Rougon  and  gave  a  slight 
twitch  of  her  eyebrows  which  he  perfectly  understood. 

'  That  will  do  ;  you  can  go  now,'  he  said  to  the  footmen. 
'  I  will  ring  if  I  require  anything.' 

The  servants  left  the  room,  and  Clorinde,  rising  from  her 
chair,  tapped  her  skirt  to  remove  the  crumbs  which  had  fallen 
on  it.  She  was  wearing  that  day  a  black  silk  dress,  somewhat 
too  large  for  her  and  laden  with  flounces,  a  very  elaborate 
dress  which  so  enveloped  her  figure  as  to  make  her  look  like  a 
mere  bundle. 

'  What  a  tremendous  place  this  is  !  '  she  remarked,  going 
to  the  end  of  the  room.  '  It's  the  kind  of  place  for  a  wedding 
feast,  this  dining-room  of  yours.'     Then  she  came  back  and 


222  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

said :  '  I  should  very  much  like  to  smoke  a  cigarette,  do  you 
know  ?  ' 

'  The  deuce,'  replied  Kougon ;  *  there's  no  tobacco.  I 
never  smoke  myself.' 

But  Clorinde  winked  and  drew  from  her  pocket  a  little 
tobacco  pouch,  of  red  silk,  embroidered  with  gold,  and  scarcely 
larger  than  a  purse.  She  rolled  a  cigarette  with  the  tips  of 
her  tapering  fingers,  and  then,  as  they  did  not  wish  to  ring, 
they  began  to  search  the  room  for  matches.  At  last  they 
found  three  on  a  sideboard,  and  Clorinde  carefully  carried 
them  off.  With  her  cigarette  between  her  lips,  she  sat  back 
m  her  chair  and  began  to  sip  her  coffee,  while  gazing  smil- 
ingly at  Rougon, 

'  Well,  1  am  entirely  at  your  service  now,'  he  remarked, 
with  an  answering  smile.  *  You  want  to  talk  to  me  ;  so  let 
us  talk.' 

Clorinde  made  a  gesture  as  though  to  express  that  what 
she  had  to  say  was  of  no  consequence.  *  Yes,'  she  rejoined  ;  '  I 
have  had  a  letter  from  my  husband.  He  is  feeling  very  bored 
at  Turin.  Of  course,  he  is  much  pleased  at  having  got  this 
mission,  thanks  to  you,  but  he  doesn't  want  to  be  forgotten 
while  he  is  away.  However,  we  can  talk  of  all  that  presently. 
There's  no  hurry  about  it.' 

Then  she  again  began  to  smoke  and  look  at  Rougon  with 
her  irritating  smile.  The  minister  had  gradually  accustomed 
himself  to  seeing  her,  without  worrying  about  those  questions 
which  had  formerly  so  disturbed  him.  Clorinde  had  now 
become  a  feature  of  his  daily  life,  and  he  accepted  her  as 
though  he  understood  her,  as  though  her  eccentricities  no 
longer  caused  him  the  faintest  surprise.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
however,  he  knew  nothing  certain  about  her  even  yet:  she 
was  as  great  a  mystery  to  him  as  she  had  been  in  the  first 
days  of  their  acquarntance.  She  constantly  varied,  sometimes 
acting  shildishly,  sometimes  showing  herself  very  deep  and 
knowing  ;  for  although,  as  a  rule,  she  seemed  very  foolish, 
she  occasionally  manitested  singular  shrewdness.  And  now, 
too,  she  was  very  gentle,  and  now  extremely  spiteful.  When 
she  surprised  Rougon  by  some  word  or  gesture  which  he  could 
not  understand,  he  shrugged  his  shoulders  with  an  expression 
of  superiority,  opining  that  all  women  behaved  in  that  fan- 
tastic way.  He  fancied  that  he  thus  manifested  a  supreme 
contempt  for  the  sex,  but  his  manner  merely  sharpened 
Clorinde's  smile,  a  smile  which  had  an  expression  of  crafty 


IN  OFFICE  223 

cruelty  about  it,  revealing  as  it  did  her  eager  teeth  between 
her  ruby  lips. 

*  Why  are  you  looking  at  me  in  that  way  ? '  Kougon  asked 
her  at  length,  feeling  disturbed  by  the  steady  gaze  of  her 
large  eyes.  '  Is  there  anything  about  me  which  displeases: 
you?' 

Some  hidden  thought  had  just  brought  a  gleam  from  the 
depths  of  Clorinde's  eyes,  and  her  lips  had  assumed  a  hard 
expression.  But  she  quickly  put  on  a  charming  smile  again, 
and  began  to  puff  out  little  whiffs  of  smoke  while  saying : 
'  Oh,  dear  no,  you're  very  nice,  I  was  thinking  about  some- 
thing, my  dear  felloAV.  Do  you  know  that  you  have  been 
very  lucky  ? ' 

« How's  that  ?  ' 

'  Why,  yes.  Here  you  are  on  the  pinnacle  which  you  were 
so  anxious  to  reach.  Everybody  lias  helped  to  lift  you  to  it, 
and  events  themselves  have  worked  for  you.' 

Eougon  was  about  to  reply  when  there  came  a  knock  at 
the  door.  Clorinde  instinctively  hid  her  cigarette  behind  her 
skirts.  It  was  a  clerk  with  an  urgent  telegram  for  his  excel- 
lency. Eougon  read  the  despatch  with  an  an-  of  displeasure, 
and  after  telling  the  clerk  what  reply  was  to  be  made  to 
it,  hastily  closed  the  door  with  a  bang  and  took  his  seat 
again. 

'Yes,'  he  said,  'I  have  certainly  had  some  devoted  friends, 
and  am  now  trying  to  remember  them.  And  you  are  right, 
too,  in  saving  that  I  owe  something  to  events.  It  often 
happens  that  men  are  powerless,  unless  they  are  helped  by 
events.' 

As  he  spoke  these  words  in  slow  deliberate  tones  he 
glanced  at  Clorinde  lowering  his  heavy  eyelids  so  as  to  con- 
ceal the  fact  that  he  was  trying  to  penetrate  her  meaning. 
Why  had  she  spoken  of  his  luck  ?  he  wondered.  What  did 
she  know  of  the  favourable  events  to  which  she  had  referred  '? 
Had  Du  Poizat  been  saying  anything  to  her  ?  But  when  he 
saw  the  smiling,  dreamy  look  of  her  face,  which  had  suddenly 
softened,  he  felt  sure  that  she  knew  nothing  whatever  upon 
the  subject.  He  himself,  too,  was  trying  to  forget  certain 
things,  and  did  not  care  to  stir  up  the  inner  chambers  of  his 
memory.  There  was  an  hour  of  his  life  which  now  seemed 
hazy  and  confused  to  him,  and  he  was  beginning  to  believe 
that  he  really  owed  his  high  position  solely  to  the  devotion 
of  his  friends. 


2  24  ^JS  EXCELLENCY 

'  I  didn't  want  anything,'  he  continued ;  '  I  was  driven 
into  it  in  spite  of  myself.  Well,  I  suppose  things  have  turned 
out  for  the  best.  If  I  succeed  in  doing  any  good,  I  shall  be 
quite  satisfied.' 

Then  he  finished  his  cup  of  coffee,  while  Clorinde  rolled 
another  cigarette. 

'  Do  you  remember,'  she  inquired,  '  my  asking  you,  two 
years  ago,  when  you  were  leaving  the  Council  of  State,  your 
reason  for  your  sudden  whim  ?  You  were  very  reserved  then, 
but  surely  you  can  speak  out  now.  Come,  between  ourselves, 
tell  me  frankly  if  you  had  a  definite  plan  in  your  mind.' 

'  One  always  has  a  plan,'  he  answered  shrewdly.  '  I  felt  that 
I  was  falling,  and  preferred  to  jump  down  of  my  own  accord.* 

'  And  has  your  plan  been  realised  ?  Have  events  happened 
just  as  you  anticipated  ?  ' 

'  Well,  hardly  that.  Things  never  turn  out  exactly  as  one 
calculates.  One  must  be  satisfied  if  one  attains  one's  end 
somehow.'  Then  he  paused  to  offer  Clorinde  a  glass  of 
liqueur.  '  Which  will  you  have,  curagoa  or  chartreuse  ?  ' 
She  chose  chartreuse ;  and,  as  Rougon  was  pouring  it  out, 
there  came  another  knock  at  the  door.  Clorinde  again  hid 
her  cigarette  with  a  gesture  of  impatience,  whilst  Rougon  got 
up  angrily,  still  holding  the  decanter.  This  time  it  was  a 
letter  bearing  a  large  seal  which  was  brought  for  his  inspec- 
tion.    When  he  had  glanced  at  it,  he  put  it  into  his  pocket. 

'  Very  well,'  he  said.     '  Don't  let  me  be  disturbed  again.' 

When  he  came  back  to  Clorinde,  the  young  woman  was 
steeping  her  lips  in  the  chartreuse,  slowly  sipping  it,  while 
glancing  upward  at  him  with  glistening  eyes.  There  was  a 
tender  look  upon  her  face  again. 

Then,  putting  down  her  glass  and  leaning  on  the  table,  she 
said,  in  a  low  voice :  '  No,  my  dear  fellow,  you  will  never 
know  all  that  was  done  for  you.' 

Rougon  drew  his  chair  closer  to  hers  and,  in  his  turn,  rested 
his  elbows  on  the  table.  '  Ah,  you  will  tell  me  all  about  that 
now,  won't  you  ? '  he  cried  with  animation.  '  Don't  let  us 
have  any  more  mysteries,  eh?  Tell  me  all  that  you  yourself 
did.' 

She  shook  her  head,  however,  while  pressing  her  cigarette 
between  her  lips. 

'  What,  is  it  something  dreadful  ?  '  Rougon  asked.  '  Are 
you  afraid  that  I  shouldn't  be  able  to  repay  you  ?  Wait  a 
moment,  now  ;  I'm  going  to  try  to  guess.     You  wrote  to  the 


IN   OF  I  ICE  225 

Pope  and   you  dropped  a  bit  of  consecrated  wafer   into   my 
water  jug  without  letting  me  l\now  ?  ' 

Clorinde  seemed  vexed  by  this  jesting,  and  threatened  to 
leave  him  if  he  continued  it.  'Don't  scoff  at  reUgion,'  she 
said.     '  It  will  bring  you  misfortune.' 

Then,  waving  away  the  smoke  which  she  was  puffing  from 
her  lips  and  which  seemed  to  inconvenience  Rougon,  she  con- 
tinued in  an  expressive  tone  :  '  I  saw  a  great  many  people 
indeed,  and  I  won  you  several  friends.' 

She  experienced  a  strong,  an  evil,  inclination  to  tell  him 
everything,  for  she  did  not  want  him  to  remain  ignorant  of 
the  fact  that  she  had  done  much  for  his  advantage.  Her  con- 
fession would  be  a  first  instalment  towards  the  satisfaction 
of  her  patiently  hoarded  rancour.  '  Yes,  yes,'  she  continued 
significantly  ;  '  I  won  over  to  your  side  several  men  who  were 
strongly  opposed  to  you.  And  I  destroyed  the  influence  of 
others.' 

Eougon  had  turned  very  pale,  for  he  understood  her  only 
too  well.  '  Ah  !  '  was  all  he  said,  as  if  to  avoid  the  subject ; 
but  Clorinde  defiantly  fixed  her  large  black  eyes  upon  him, 
and  giving  way  he  began  to  question  her.  '  Monsieur  de 
Marsy,  eh '? ' 

Clorinde  nodded  assent  and  then  blew  a  whiff  of  smoke 
over  her  shoulder. 

'  Chevalier  Rusconi  ?  * 

Again  she  nodded. 

'  Monsieur  Lebeau,  Monsieur  de  Salneuve,  Monsieur 
Guyot-Laplanche  ?  ' 

She  nodded  at  each  name,  and  then  finished  her  glass  of 
chaitreuse  in  little  sips,  with  an  expression  of  triumph  on  her 
face. 

Rougon  had  riseii  from  his  seat.  He  walked  to  the  end  of 
the  room  as  if  pondering,  and  then  came  back  and  stood 
behind  Clorinde.  She  could  hear  him  panting.  And  all  at 
once  she  turned  sharply,  ft  aring  he  was  going  to  kiss  her 
hair.  '  I  know  your  thoughts,'  said  she,  '  but  remember,  I 
had  no  need  to  plead  your  cause  with  yourself.' 

Then,  as  he  looked  at  her,  white  with  anger,  she  burst 
into  a  laugh.  '  Oh  !  how  simple  you  are  !  '  she  cried.  '  If  I 
just  joke  a  little,  you  believe  all  I  say.  Really,  you  are  very 
amusing.' 

Rougon  stood  there  for  a  moment  quite  nonplussed.  The 
ironical  fashion  in  which  she  contradicted  herself  made  her 

Q 


2  26  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

more  irritating  and  provoking.  Her  whole  person,  her 
ripphng  hiugh  and  ghstening  eyes,  confirmed  her  confessions 
and  repeated  tbem.  However,  just  then  there  came  a  third 
knock  at  the  door. 

'  Well,  I  don't  care,  I  shall  stick  to  my  cigarette  this  time,' 
said  Clorinde. 

An  usher  came  into  the  room,  quite  out  of  breath,  and 
stammered  tbat  the  Minister  of  Justice  wanted  to  speak  to  his 
excellency.  Then  he  cast  a  furtive  glance  at  the  lady  he  saw 
smoking. 

'  Say  that  I  bave  gone  out!  '  retorted  Rougon.  '  I  am  not 
at  home  to  any  one,  do  you  hear  ! ' 

When  the  usher  had  bowed  and  retired  backwards  from 
the  room,  Roagon  vented  his  anger  and  brought  his  fist  down 
upon  the  table.  He  was  scarcely  allowed  to  breathe  !  he  cried. 
Why,  on  the  previous  day  they  had  pursued  him  even  to  his 
dressing-room  where  he  had  gone  to  shave. 

Clorinde,  however,  rose  from  her  chair  and  deliberately 
walked  to  tbe  door.  '  Wait  a  moment,'  she  said  ;  '  they  sha'n't 
disturb  us  again."  And  tben  she  quietly  turned  the  key  in  the 
lock.  '  There  !  '  she  resumed.  '  They  may  knock  as  much 
as  they  like  now.' 

She  began  to  roll  a  third  cigarette  as  she  stood  near  the 
window.  Rougon  stepped  up  to  her  and  whispered  close  to 
her  neck  :  '  Clorinde.' 

She  stood  still,  and  he  continued  in  deeper  tones :  '  Clorinde, 
don't  you  know  that  I  love  you  ?  ' 

She  remained  perfectly  unrufiled.  She  shook  her  head, 
but  so  feebly  that  it  seemed  as  if  she  wished  to  encourage  him, 
and  he  ended  by  planting  a  rough  kiss  on  the  back  of  her 
neck,  just  beneath  her  hair.  Then,  however,  she  swung 
herself  round,  and  with  scorn  in  her  eyes  and  her  voice  she 
cried  :  '  Ah  !  so  you've  got  another  attack,  my  friend  ?  I 
thought  you  were  cured  of  that.  What  a  strange  man  you 
are  !  You  kiss  a  woman  after  eighteen  mouths'  consideration  !  ' 

Rougon  remained  for  a  moment  with  downcast  head,  but 
then  sprang  towards  her,  caught  hold  one  of  her  hands  and 
began  to  cover  it  with  kisses.  She  made  no  attempt  to  with- 
draw it,  but  continued  to  jeer  at  him. 

'  Please  don't  bite  my  fingers.  As  long  as  you  don't  do 
tbat,  I  don't  mind.  I  should  really  never  have  beheved  it  of 
you  !  You  had  become  so  serious  and  steady  wdicn  I  went  to 
see  you  in  the  Rue  Marbeuf.     And  now  you're  turned  quite 


IN  OFFICE  227 

crazy  again !  Truly,  you're  a  nice  kind  of  man  !  I  can't 
keep  up  a  passion  as  you  do.  It's  all  qiiite  over  with  me. 
Eemember  that  I  offered  to  be  your  wife,  but  you  refused  me 
then  and  now  it  is  too  late.' 

'  Hear  me,'  he  murmured,  '  I  will  do  anything,  everything, 
you  want.' 

But  the  young  woman  shook  her  head,  punishing  him  for 
his  old  contempt,  and  enjoying,  in  so  doing,  a  first  instalment 
of  her  vengeance.  She  had  wanted  to  see  him  all-powerful 
in  order  that  she  might  in  her  turn  treat  him  with 
contempt. 

Then  Rougon  fell  ignominiously  at  her  feet  and  began  to 
kiss  her  skirts,  grovelling  there,  humbling  himself,  he  who 
could  be  so  haughty  with  others.  As  he  gradually  grew 
bolder,  however,  she  said  to  him  in  a  quiet  voice  :  '  Take 
care !  '  and  as  he  disregarded  her  caution,  she  suddenly 
touched  his  forehead  with  the  burning  end  of  her  cigarette. 
He  recoiled  with  a  faint  cry,  and  she  on  her  side  darted  away 
and  caught  hold  of  the  bell-rope  which  hung  against  the  wall 
beside  the  mantelpiece.  'I  shall  ring,'  she  said,  'and  I  shall 
say  it  was  you  who  locked  the  door  ! ' 

At  this  Rougon  swung  himself  round,  holding  his  hands  to 
his  temples,  and  shaken  by  a  violent  tremor.  Then  for  a 
moment  he  remained  quite  still,  feeling  as  though  his  head 
were  going  to  split.  He  stiffened  himself  in  the  hope  of 
calming  his  feverishness.  There  was  a  ringing  in  his  ears, 
and  his  eyes  were  blinded  by  ruddy  fires. 

*  I  am  a  brute,'  he  murmured  at  last.     '  It  is  folly.' 

Clorinde  laughed  triumphantly,  and  bf  gan  to  point  a 
moral.  He  did  wrong  to  despise  women,  said  she.  Later  on, 
ha  would  find  that  there  were  such  things  as  very  clever 
women.  Then  she  relapsed  into  a  good-natured  playful  tone. 
'  You  are  not  vexed  with  me,  are  you  ?  You  must  never  try 
to  make  love  to  me  again,  you  know.  I  don't  want  you  to  do 
it.     I  don't  like  to  think  of  it.' 

Rougon  paced  up  and  down,  full  of  shame  ;  while  she  let 
go  of  the  bell-rope,  sat  down  at  the  table  again,  and  compounded 
herself  a  glass  of  sugar  and  water. 

'  Well,  I  got  a  letter  from  my  husband  yesterday,'  she 
quietly  resumed.  '  I  had  so  much  to  do  this  morning  that  I 
should  probably  have  broken  my  promise  to  come  and  lunch 
with  you  if  I  hadn't  wanted  to  show  you  that  letter.  See, 
here  it  is  !     It  reminds  you  of  your  promises.' 

g2 


2  28  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

Kougon  took  the  letter  and  read  it  as  he  walked  ahout  the 
room.  Then  he  threw  it  on  the  table  in  front  of  Cloriude 
with  a  gesture  expressive  of  weariness. 

'  Well  ?  '  she  asked. 

He  made  no  immediate  reply,  but  stretched  himself  and 
yawned.     '  He  is  a  simpleton,'  he  said  at  last. 

Clorinde  was  greatly  offended.  For  some  time  past  she 
had  not  tolerated  any  doubt  of  her  husband's  capabilities.  She 
bent  her  head  for  a  moment  and  repressed  the  rebellious 
twitchings  of  her  hands.  She  was  gradually  emerging  from 
her  disciple-like  submissiveness,  draining,  as  it  were,  from 
Rougon  sufficient  of  his  strength  to  enable  her  to  confront 
him  as  a  formidable  foe. 

'  If  we  were  to  show  this  letter,  it  would  be  all  over  with 
him,'  said  the  minister,  impelled  by  Clorinde's  disdain  to 
avenge  himself  upon  her  husband.  *  Ah  !  it  isn't  so  easy 
as  you  suppose  to  find  a  place  that  he's  fit  for.' 

'  You  are  exaggerating,  my  friend,'  replied  Clorinde,  after 
a  short  pause.  '  You  used  to  say  that  he  had  a  great  future 
before  him.  He  possesses  some  sterling  good  qualities ;  and 
it  isn't  always  the  sharpest  men  who  go  furthest  !  ' 

Rougon,  however,  still  paced  the  room,  and  shrugged  his 
shoulders. 

'  It  is  to  your  interest  that  he  should  join  the  ministry,' 
continued  Clorinde.  '  Y"ou  would  have  a  supporter  in  him. 
If  it  is  true,  as  is  reported,  that  the  Minister  of  Commerce 
and  Agriculture  is  in  bad  health  and  wishes  to  retire,  the 
opportunity  is  a  splendid  one.  My  husband  is  quite  competent 
to  perform  the  duties  of  the  office,  and  his  mission  to  Italy 
would  make  his  selection  quite  natural.  You  know  that  the 
Emperor  is  very  fond  of  him,  and  that  they  get  on  very  well 
together.  They  have  the  same  ideas  on  many  subjects.  A 
word  from  you  would  settle  the  matter.' 

Rougon  took  two  or  three  more  turns  before  replying. 
Then,  halting  in  front  of  Clorinde,  he  said  :  '  Well,  after  all,  I 
am  agreeable.  He  won't  be  the  only  simpleton  in  office. 
But  I'm  doing  this  solely  for  your  sake,  remember.  I  want 
to  disarm  you.  I  am  afraid  you  haven't  a  good  heart.  You're 
too  vindictive,  aren't  you  ?  ' 

He  spoke  playfully,  and  Clorinde  laughed  as  she  replied  : 
'  Oh,  yes,  indeed  ;  I'm  very  vindictive.  I  remember  things  a 
long  time.' 

Then,  as  she  was  about  to  leave  him,  he  detained  her  for 


IN  OFFICE  229 

a  moment  by  the  door,  and  twice  squeezed  her  fingei's,  but 
did  not  say  another  word. 

Directly  Clorinde  had  gone,  Rougon  returned  to  his  private 
office.  The  spacious  room  was  empty.  He  sat  down  at  the 
writing-table  and  rested  his  elbows  on  his  blotting-pad, 
breathing  heavily  in  the  surrounding  silence.  His  eyelids 
dropped,  and  a  deep  reverie  lulled  him  to  a  state  of  drowsi- 
ness for  the  next  ten  minutes.  Then  he  suddenly  started, 
stretched  himself,  and  rang  the  bell. 

Merle  made  his  appearance. 

'  The  prefect  of  the  Somme  is  still  here,  isn't  he  ?  '  asked 
Rougon.     '  Show  him  in.' 

Bracing  up  his  short  figure,  the  prefect  entered  the  room 
with  a  pale,  smiling  face.  He  greeted  the  minister  with  all 
due  deference.  Rougon,  who  felt  little  energy,  waited  till  he 
had  finished.     Then  he  asked  him  to  be  seated. 

'I  must  tell  you  why  I  have  sent  for  you.  Monsieur  le 
prefet,'  he  began.  '  There  are  certain  instructions  which 
must  be  given  by  word  of  mouth.  You  are  not  ignorant  of 
the  fact  that  the  revolutionary  party  is  raising  its  head.  We 
have  been  within  an  ace  of  a  frightful  catastrophe.  The 
country  requires  to  be  reassured,  to  feel  that  it  can  rely  upon 
the  energetic  protection  of  the  Government.  His  Majesty  the 
Emperor,  on  his  side,  has  come  to  the  conclusion  that  some 
examples  must  be  made,  for  hitherto  his  kindness  has  been 
strangely  abused.' 

Rougon  spoke  slowly,  reclining  in  his  arm-chair  and 
playing  the  while  with  a  large  agate  seal.  The  prefect  ex- 
pressed his  approval  of  each  sentence  by  a  brisk  nod. 

*  Your  department,'  continued  the  minister,  '  is  one  of  the 
worst.     The  republican  ulcer ' 

'  I  make  every  effort '  interposed  the  prefect. 

'  Don't  interrupt  me.  It  is  necessary  that  strong  repressive 
steps  should  be  taken  there  ;  and  it  was  to  express  my  views 
to  you  on  the  subject  that  I  wished  to  see  you.  We  have 
been  drawing  up  a  list ' 

Then  he  began  to  search  among  his  papers,  took  up  a 
bundle  of  documents,  and  turned  them  over  one  by  one. 

'It  is  a  return  for  the  whole  of  France  of  the  number  of 
arrests  that  are  considered  necessary.  The  number  for  each 
department  is  proportionate  to  the  blow  which  it  is  intended 
to  strike.  I  want  you  to  understand  our  object  thoroughly. 
In  the  Haute-Marne,  for  instance,  where  the  Republicans  are 


230  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

in  a  very  small  miiiority,  there  are  to  be  only  three  arrests. 
In  the  Meuse,  on  the  other  hand,  there  will  be  fifteen.  As 
for  your  department,  the  Somme — isn't  it? — well,  for  the 
Somine,  we  think ' 

He  turned  the  papers  over  again,  blinking  his  heavy  eye- 
lids ;  then  raised  his  head  and  looked  the  prefect  in  the  face. 
'  Monsieur  le  prefet,  you  have  twelve  arrests  to  make,'  said  he. 

The  pale  little  man  bowed.  '  Twelve  arrests,'  he  repeated. 
*  I  understand  your  excellency  perfectly.' 

He  seemed  perplexed,  however,  as  though  afltected  by  some 
slight  misgivings  which  he  would  have  pi'eferred  to  conceal. 
However,  after  a  few  minutes'  general  conversation,  just  as 
the  minister  rose  to  dismiss  him,  he  made  up  his  mind  to 
ask :  *  Could  your  excellency  tell  me  the  persons  who  are  to 
be  arrested  ? ' 

'  Oh  !  ari'est  anybody  you  like  !  '  Rougon  replied.  '  I  can't 
trouble  myself  about  the  details.  I  should  never  get  through 
the  work  if  I  did.  Leave  Paris  this  evening  and  begin  your 
arrests  to-morrow.  I  advise  you,  however,  to  strike  high. 
Down  in  your  department  you  have  some  lawyers  and  mer- 
chants and  druggists  who  busy  themselves  with  politics. 
Just  lock  all  those  fellows  up.     It  will  have  a  good  effect.' 

The  prefect  passed  his  hand  across  his  brow  in  an  anxious 
way.  He  was  already  searching  his  memory,  trying  to  think 
of  certain  lawyers,  merchants,  and  druggists.  However,  he 
still  nodded  his  head  approvingly.  But  Rougon  was  not 
altogether  pleased  with  his  hesi'ating  demeanour.  '  I  won't 
conceal  from  you,'  he  said,  '  that  his  Majesty  is  by  no  means 
satisfied  just  now  with  the  administrative  staff.  Thei'e  will 
probably  soon  be  a  great  change  amongst  the  prefects.  We 
need  very  devoted  men  in  the  present  grave  circumstances.' 

This  afi'ected  the  prefect  like  a  cut  from  a  whip. 

'  Your  excellency  may  rely  on  me,'  he  exclaimed.  '  I 
have  already  fixed  upon  my  men.  There  is  a  druggist  at 
Peronne,  a  cloth  merchant  and  a  paper  maker  at  Doullens  ; 
and,  as  for  the  lawyers,  there's  no  lack  of  them  ;  there's  a 
perfect  plague  of  them.  Oh,  I  assure  your  excellency  that  I 
shall  have  no  difficulty  in  making  up  the  dozen.  I  am  an 
old  servant  of  the  Empire.' 

For  another  moment  he  chattered  on  about  devoting  him- 
self to  the  saving  of  the  country,  and  then  took  his  leave  with 
a  very  low  bow.  When  he  had  closed  the  door  behind  him, 
the  minister  swayed  his  heavy  frame  with  an  air  of  doubt. 


IN  OFFICE  231 

He  did  not  believe  in  little  men.  Then,  without  sitting  down 
again,  he  drew  a  red  line  through  La  Somme  upon  his  list. 
The  names  of  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  departments  were 
already  scored  out  in  the  same  way. 

When  Eougon  again  rang  for  Merle,  he  was  annoyed  to 
see  that  the  ante-room  was  as  full  as  ever.  He  fancied  he 
could  recognise  the  two  ladies  still  standing  by  the  table.  '  I 
told  you  to  send  everybody  away  !  '  he  cried.  '  I  am  going 
out,  and  cannot  see  anybody  else.' 

'  The  editor  of  the  Yau  National  is  there,'  murmured  the 
usher. 

Rougon  had  forgotten  the  editor.  He  clasped  his  hands 
behind  his  back,  and  ordered  Merle  to  admit  him.  The 
journalist  was  a  man  of  some  forty  years  of  age,  with  a  heavy 
face,  and  was  very  carefully  dressed. 

'  Ah  !  here  you  are,  sir  !  '  said  the  minister  roughly. 
*  Things  cannot  go  on  like  this,  I  warn  you  of  it.' 

Then  he  began  to  pace  the  room,  inveighing  hotly  against 
the  press.  It  was  demoralising  everything,  bringing  about 
general  disorganisation,  and  inciting  to  disorder  of  every  kind. 
The  very  robbers  who  stabbed  wayfarers  on  the  high-roads 
were  preferable  to  journalists,  said  he.  A  man  might  recover 
from  a  knife-thrust,  but  pens  were  poisoned.  Then  he  went 
on  to  make  even  more  odious  comparisons ;  and  gradually 
worked  himself  into  a  state  of  excitement,  gesticulating 
angrily,  and  thundering  forth  his  words.  The  editor,  who 
had  remained  standing,  bent  his  head  to  the  storm,  while  his 
face  wore  an  expression  of  submissive  consternation. 

*  If  your  excellency  would  condescend  to  explain  to  me,'  he 
at  last  ventured  to  say  ;  '  I  don't  quite  understand ' 

'  What '?  '  roared  Rougon  furiously.  Then  he  sprang 
forward,  spread  out  the  newspaper  on  his  table,  and  pointed 
to  the  columns  that  were  marked  with  red  pencil.  '  There 
are  not  ten  lines  free  from  offence  !  '  he  exclaimed.  '  In  your 
leading  article,  }0u  appear  to  cast  a  doubt  upon  the  govern- 
ment's capacities  in  the  matter  of  repressive  measures.  In 
this  paragraph  on  the  second  page  you  appear  to  allude  to  me 
when  you  speak  of  the  insolent  triumph  of  parvenus.  Among 
your  miscellaneous  items  there  are  a  lot  of  filthy  stories,  brain- 
less attacks  upon  the  upper  classes.' 

The  editor  clasped  his  hands  in  great  alarm,  and  tried  to 
get  in  a  word.  '  I  assure  your  excellency — I  am  quite  in 
despair  that  your  excellency  could  suppose  for  a  moment  — 


232  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

I,  too,  who  have  such  very  warm  admiration  for  your 
excellency ' 

Kougon,  however,  paid  no  attention  to  this.  '  And  the 
worst  of  the  matter  is,  sir,'  he  continued,  '  that  everyone  is 
aware  of  your  connection  with  the  adn:iiuistration.  How  is  it 
likely  that  the  other  newspapers  will  respect  us,  when  those 
in  our  own  pay  do  not  ?  All  my  friends  have  been  denouncing 
these  abominations  to  me  this  morning.' 

Then  the  editor  joined  Eoiigon  in  declaiming  against  the 
incriminated  matter.  He  had  read  none  of  those  articles  and 
paragraphs,  he  said.  But  he  would  at  once  dismiss  all  his 
contributors.  If  his  excellency  wished  it,  he  would  send  him 
a  proof-copy  of  the  paper  every  morning.  Eougon,  who  had 
relieved  his  feelmgs,  declined  this  offer.  He  had  not  the  time 
to  examine  a  proof-copy,  he  said.  Just  as  he  was  dismissing 
the  editor,  however,  a  fresh  thought  seemed  to  strike  him. 
'  Oh,  I  was  forgetting,'  he  said.  '  That  well-bred  woman  who 
betrays  her  husband  in  the  novel  you  are  publishing  serially 
supplies  a  detestable  argument  against  good  education.  It 
ought  not  to  be  alleged  that  a  woman  of  that  kind  could 
possibly  commit  such  a  sin.' 

*  The  serial  has  had  a  great  success,'  murmured  the  editor, 
again  feeling  alarmed.  '  I  have  read  it,  and  have  found  it 
very  interesting.' 

'  Ah  !  you've  read  it,  have  you  ?  Well,  now,  does  this 
wretched  woman  feel  any  remorse  in  the  end  ?  ' 

The  editor  carried  his  hand  to  his  forehead,  amazed,  and 
trying  to  remember.  '  Remorse  ?  No,  I  think  not,'  he 
replied.  Eougon  had  already  opened  the  door,  and  as  he 
closed  it  upon  the  journalist,  he  called  after  him  :  '  It  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  that  she  should  feel  remorse  I  Insist  upon 
the  author  filling  her  with  remorse ! ' 


X 

A   TEIP   TO    NIOET 

Eougon  had  written  to  Du  Poizat  and  M.  Kahn  asking  them 
to  spare  him  the  infliction  of  an  official  reception  at  the  gates 
of  Niort.  He  arrived  there  one  Saturday  evening  a  httle  before 
seven  o'clock,  and  at  once  went  to  the  prefecture,  with   the 


A    TRIP  TO  NIORT  233 

intention  of  resting  till  noon  the  following  day,  for  he  was 
feeling  very  tired.  After  dinner,  however,  several  people 
called.  Doubtless  the  news  of  the  minister's  arrival  had 
already  spread  through  the  town.  A  small  drawing-room 
near  the  dining  room  was  thrown  open,  and  a  kind  of  im- 
promptu reception  was  organised.  Kougon,  as  he  stood 
betw^een  the  two  windows,  wais  obliged  to  stitle  his  yawns  and 
reply  as  pleasantly  as  he  could  to  the  greetings  offered  to 
him. 

One  of  the  deputies  of  the  department,  the  very  attorney 
who  had  usurped  M.  Kahn's  position  as  official  candidate,  was 
the  first  to  make  his  appearance.  He  arrived  quite  out  of 
breath,  half  scared,  wearing  a  frock-coat  and  coloured  trousers, 
for  which  he  apologised  on  the  ground  that  he  had  only  just 
returned  on  foot  from  one  of  his  farms,  and  had  been  anxious 
to  pay  his  respects  to  his  excellency  as  soon  as  possible.  Then 
a  short  fat  man  appeared,  wearing  a  somewhat  tight-fitting 
dress  coat  and  white  gloves.  There  was  an  air  of  ceremonious 
regret  about  him.  He  was  the  mayor's  first  assessor,  and  had 
just  been  informed  by  his  servant  of  Rougon's  arrival.  The 
mayor,  he  said,  would  be  greatly  distressed.  He  was  not 
expecting  his  excellency  till  the  following  day  and  was  at 
present  at  his  estate  of  Les  Varades,  some  six  miles  off.  After 
the  assessor  there  came  a  procession  of  six  gentlemen  with 
big  feet,  big  hands,  and  big  heavy  faces.  The  prefect  pre- 
sented them  to  Rougon  as  distinguished  members  of  the 
Statistical  Society.  Then  the  head-master  of  the  state  college 
arrived,  bringing  with  him  his  wife,  a  charming  blonde  of 
eight-and-twenty.  She  was  a  Parisienne,  and  her  dresses  were 
the  wonder  of  Niort.  She  told  Rougon  somewhat  bitterly  of 
her  great  dislike  for  provincial  life. 

M.  Kahn,who  had  dined  with  the  minister  and  the  prefect, 
was  on  his  side  hotly  plied  with  questions  respecting  the  next 
day's  ceremony.  It  had  been  arranged  that  the  party  would 
repair  to  a  spot  some  two  or  three  miles  from  the  town,  in  the 
district  known  as  Les  Moulins,  where  it  was  intended  that 
the  first  tunnel  on  the  new  line  from  Niort  to  Angers  should 
be  pierced  ;  and  there  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  was  to  fire 
the  first  mine.  Rougon,  who  had  assumed  a  homely  good- 
natured  manner,  said  that  he  merely  wanted  to  do  what  he 
could  to  honour  an  old  friend's  laborious  enterprise.  He 
moreover  considered  himself  to  be  an  adopted  son  of  the 
department  of  Deux- Sevres,  which  in  former  days  had  sent 


234  ///^  RXCELLENCV 

him  to  the  Legislative  Assembly.  To  tell  the  truth,  however, 
the  real  object  of  his  journey  was  in  accordance  with  Du 
Poizat's  strongly  urged  advice  to  display  himself,  in  the  pleni- 
tude of  power,  to  his  old  constituents,  so  as  to  make  sure  of 
their  support  should  it  ever  become  necessary  for  him  to  enter 
the  Corps  Legislatif. 

FroiB  the  windows  of  the  little  drawing-room  the  town 
could  be  seen  black  and  slumberous.  No  further  visitors 
called.  The  news  of  the  minister's  arrival  had  come  too  late 
in  the  day.  This  circumstance,  however,  gave  an  additional 
feeling  of  triumpli  to  the  few  zealous  ones  who  had  put  in  an 
appearance  at  the  prefect's.  They  gave  no  hint  of  retiring, 
but  seemed  quite  elated  with  joy  at  being  the  first  to  meet  his 
excellency  in  private  conversation.  The  mayor's  assessor 
repeated  in  a  doleful  voice,  through  which  rang  a  note  of 
jubilation:  ^  Mon  Dieu  I  how  distressed  the  mayor  will  be! 
And  the  presiding  judge,  too,  and  the  pubhc  prosecutor  and 
all  the  other  gentlemen  !  ' 

Towards  nine  o'clock,  however,  it  might  have  been  supposed 
that  the  whole  town  was  in  the  aiite-room,  for  a  loud  tramping 
of  feet  was  heard  there.  Then  a  servant  entered  the  drawing- 
room  and  announced  that  the  chief  commissary  of  pohce 
desired  to  pay  his  respects  to  his  excellency.  And  it  was 
Gilquin  who  made  his  appearance:  Gilquin,  looking  quite 
gorgeous  in  evening  dress  and  straw-coloured  gloves  and  kid 
boots.  Du  Poizat  had  given  him  a  place  in  his  department. 
He  bore  himself  very  well,  the  only  traces  of  his  old  manner 
being  a  somewhat  swaggering  motion  of  his  shoulders  and  a 
marked  disinchnation  to  part  with  his  hat,  which  he  persisted 
in  holding  against  his  hip  in  imitation  of  a  pose  which  he  had 
studied  on  a  tailor's  fashion-plate.  He  bowed  to  Rougon  and 
addressed  him  with  exaggerated  humility.  '  I  venture  to  recall 
myself  to  the  kind  recollection  of  your  excellency,  whom  I 
had  the  honour  of  meeting  several  times  in  Paris,'  said  he. 

Rougon  smiled,  and  he  and  Gilquin  chatted  for  a  few 
moments.  Then  the  latter  made  his  way  into  the  dining-room, 
where  tea  had  just  been  served,  and  he  there  found  M.  Kahn, 
who  was  glancing  over  a  list  of  the  guests  invited  to  the  next 
day's  ceremony.  In  the  little  drawing-room  the  conversation 
had  now  turned  upon  the  grandeur  of  the  Emperor's  reign. 
Du  Poizat,  standing  by  Rougon's  side,  was  extolling  the 
Empire,  and  they  bowed  to  one  another  as  though  they  were 
mutually    congratulating    themselves    upon    some    personal 


A    TRIP  TO  NIORT  235 

achievement,   while   the   citizens   of    Niort   clustered  round, 
agape  with  respectful  admiration. 

'  What  clever  fellows  they  are,  eh  ?  '    said  Gilquin,  who 
was  watching  the  scene  through  the  open  doorway. 

Then,  as  he  proceeded  to  pour  some  rum  into  his  tea,  he 
gave  M.  Kahn  a  nudge.  Du  Poizat,  lean  and  enthusiastic, 
with  his  irregular  white  teeth  and  feverish,  childish  face  all 
aglow  with  triumph,  appeared  to  take  Gilquin's  fancy.  '  Ah, 
you  should  have  seen  him  when  he  tirst  arrived  in  the  depart- 
ment,' said  the  commissary  in  a  low  voice.  '  I  was  with  him. 
He  stamped  his  feet  angrily  as  he  walked  along.  He  no 
douht  felt  a  grudge  against  the  people  here  :  and  since  he's 
been  prefect,  he's  been  amusing  himself  by  avenging  all  his 
youthful  grievances.  The  townspeople  who  knew  him  when 
he  was  a  poor  miserable  fellow  don't  feel  inclined  to  smile 
now  when  they  see  him  go  past.  He  makes  a  strong  prefect ; 
he's  quite  cut  out  for  the  post.  He's  very  different  from  that 
fellow  Langlade,  whom  he  superseded,  a  mere  ladies'  man,  as 
fair  as  a  girl.  We  came  across  photographs  of  ladies  in  very 
low  dresses  even  amongst  the  official  papers  in  his  room.' 

Then  Gilquin  paused.     He  fancied  that  the  wife  of  the 
head-master  had  her  eyes  on  him.     And  so,  desirous  of  display- 
ing the  graces  of  his  person,  he  bent  forward  again  to  speak 
to  M.  Kahn.     '  Have  you  heard  of  Du  Poizat's  meeting  with 
his  father  ?  '  he  asked.     '  Oh,  it  was  the  most  amusing  thing 
in  the  world.     The  old  man,  you  know,  is  a  retired  process- 
server,  who  has  got  a  n'ce  little  pile  together  by  lending  petty 
sums  by  the  week  at  high  interest ;  and  he  now  lives  like  a 
wolf  in  an  old  ruin  of  a  house  where  he  keeps  loaded  guns  in 
the  hall.     Well,  he  had  told  his  son  a  score  of  times  that  he 
would  come  to  the  gallows ;  and  Du  Poizat  had  long  dreamt 
of  having  his  revenge.     That,  indeed,  was  one  of  his  reasons 
for  wanting  to  be  prefect  here.     So  one  morning  he  put  on 
his  finest  uniform,  and,  under  the  pretext  of  making  a  round, 
he  went  and  knocked  at  the  old  man's  house.     Then,  after  a 
good  quarter  of  an  hour's  parley,  the  father  opened  the  door, 
a  pale  httle  old  man  he  was,  and  he  gazed  with  a  stupefied 
look  at  his  son's  gold-laced  uniform.     Well,  now,  guess  what 
was  the  first  thing  he  said,  as  soon  as  he  discovered  that  his  son 
had  become  the  j^refect !    "  Don't  send  for  the  taxes  any  more, 
Leopold  !  "    Yes,  those  were  his  very  words.     He  didn't  show 
the  shghtest  fatherly  emotion.     When  Du  Poizat  came  back, 
he  was  biting  his  lips,  and  his  face  was  as  white  as  a  sheet. 


236  BIS  EXCELLENCY 

His  father's  unruffled  tranquillity  had  quite  exasperated  him. 
Ah  !  he'll  never  manage  to  subdue  the  old  man  !  ' 

M.  Kahn  nodded  his  head  discreetly.  lie  had  shpped  the 
list  of  guests  into  his  pocket,  and  was  now  sipping  a  cup  of  tea 
while  glancing  occasionally  into  the  adjoining  room.  '  Rougon 
is  half  asleep,'  he  said.  '  Those  idiots  ought  to  have  enough 
sense  to  leave  him  and  let  him  go  to  bed.  I  want  him  to  be 
in  good  form  for  to-morrow.' 

'  I  hadn't  seen  him  for  some  time,'  said  Gilquin.  '  He  has 
put  on  more  flesh.'  Then,  lowering  his  voice,  he  continued  : 
'  They  managed  it  very  cleverly,  those  two  fine  fellows  !  They 
worked  some  quiet  trick  or  other  out  of  that  bomb  affair  at 
the  Opera  which  I  had  warned  them  of.  It  came  off,  as  you 
know ;  but  Rougon  pretends  that  he  went  to  the  prefecture 
and  that  no  one  there  would  believe  him.  Well,  that's  his 
business,  and  there's  no  occasion  to  say  any  more  about  it. 
On  the  day  of  the  affair,  Du  Poizat  stood  me  a  ripping 
(Ujeuner  at  a  cafe  on  the  boulevards.  Oh  !  what  a  time  we 
had  !  We  went  to  a  theatre  in  the  evening,  I  think,  but  I 
haven't  any  very  distinct  recollection  of  it,  for  I  slept  for  two 
days  afterwards.' 

M.  Kahn  now  appeared  to  find  Gilquin's  confidences 
somewhat  alarming,  for  he  got  up  and  left  the  dining-room. 
Then  the  commissary  felt  quite  convinced  that  the  head- 
master's wife  was  certainly  gazing  at  him.  So  he  also  went 
back  into  the  drawing-room  and  busied  himself  about  her,  and 
ended  by  bringing  her  some  tea,  biscuits  and  cake.  He  really 
carried  himself  very  well ;  he  looked  like  a  gentleman  who 
had  been  badly  brought  up,  and  this  appeared  to  influence  the 
beautiful  blonde  in  his  favour. 

However,  the  deputy  was  now  engaged  in  demonstrating 
the  necessity  of  having  a  new  church  at  Niort ;  the  mayor's 
assessor  asked  for  a  bridge  ;  and  the  head-master  urged  the 
desirabihty  of  extending  the  college  buildings,  while  the  six 
members  of  the  Statistical  Society  silently  nodded  approval  of 
everything. 

'  Well,  we  will  see  about  these  matters  to-morrow,  gentle- 
men,' said  Rougon,  whose  eyelids  were  half-closed.  '  I  am 
here  for  the  purpose  of  inquiring  into  your  needs  and  doing 
what  I  can  to  satisfy  them.' 

Ten  o'clock  w^as  just  striking  when  a  servant  came  into 
the  room  and  said  something  to  the  prefect,  who  at  once 
whispered  a  few  words  in  the  minister's  ear.     The  latter  then 


A    TRir   TO   NIORT  237 

hastened  out  of  the  drawing  room.  He  found  Madame 
Correur  waiting  for  him  in  an  adjoining  apartment.  She  was 
accompanied  by  a  tall,  slim  girl  with  a  colourless  frecklee!. 
face. 

'  So  you  are  in  Niort,  are  you  ?  '  Rougon  exclaimed  as  he 
joined  them. 

'  Only  since  this  afternoon,'  replied  Madame  Correur.  '  We 
are  staying  just  opposite,  on  the  Place  de  la  Prefecture,  at  the 
Hotel  de  Paris.' 

And  then  she  explained  that  she  had  come  from  Coulonges, 
where  she  had  been  spending  a  couple  of  days.  But  suddenly 
she  paused  to  direct  the  minister's  attention  to  the  tall  girl 
beside  her.  '  This,'  said  she,  '  is  Mademoiselle  Herminie 
Billecoq,  who  has  been  kind  enough  to  accompany  me.' 

Herminie  Billecoq  made  a  ceremonious  bow,  and  Madame 
Correur  proceeded  :  'I  didn't  say  anything  to  you  about  this 
expedition  of  mine,  because  I  thought  you  might  oppose  it ; 
but  I  really  couldn't  help  going.  I  was  very  anxious  to  see 
my  brother.  When  I  heard  of  your  coming  to  Niort,  I 
hastened  here.  We  looked  out  for  you  and  saw  you  enter 
the  prefecture,  but  we  thought  it  better  to  defer  our  visit 
cill  later  on.  These  little  towns  are  much  given  to  malicious 
scandal ! ' 

Eougon  nodded  assent.  He  was  indeed  thinking  that 
plump  Madame  Correur  with  her  painted  face  and  bright 
yellow  dress  might,  to  provincial  eyes,  very  well  appear  to  be 
a  compromising  person. 

'  Well,  and  did  you  see  your  brother  ?  '  he  asked. 

*  Yes,'  Madame  Correur  replied,  clenching  her  teeth  ;  'yes, 
I  saw  him.  Madame  Martineau  didn't  venture  to  turn  me 
out  of  the  house.  She  was  burning  some  sugar  over  the  fire 
when  I  went  in.  Oh,  my  poor  brother  !  I  knew  that  he  was 
ill,  but  it  gave  me  quite  a  shock  to  see  him  so  emaciated.  He 
has  promised  that  he  won't  disinherit  me  ;  it  would  be  con- 
trary to  his  principles.  He  has  made  his  will ;  and  his 
property  will  be  divided  between  me  and  Madame  Martineau. 
Isn't  that  so,  Herminie  ? ' 

'  Yes,  the  property  is  to  be  divided,'  declared  the  tall  girl. 
'  He  told  you  so  when  you  first  got  there,  and  repeated  it 
when  he  saw  you  away  from  the  door.  Oh  !  there's  no  doubt 
about  it ;  I  heard  him  say  so.' 

Then  Rougon  tried  to  get  rid  of  the  two  women  by  saying  : 
'  Well,  I'm  delighted  to  hear  it.    You  will  feel  much  easier  now. 


2^8  HIS  EXCELLENCY 


■J 


These  family  quarrels  always  get  made  up.  Come,  good- 
night ;  I'm  going  to  bed  now.' 

But  Madame  Correur  detainf^d  him.  She  had  taken  her 
handkerchief  out  of  her  pocket  and  was  dabbing  her  eyes  with 
it,  seemingly  affected  with  sudden  grief.  '  Oh,  my  poor 
Martineau !  '  said  shi,  '  he  was  so  kind  and  good,  and  forgave 
me  with  such  readiness  !  I  wish  you  knew  how  good  he  is,  my 
dear  friend.  It  is  on  his  account  that  I  have  hurried  here,  to 
petition  you  in  his  favour -' 

Her  tears  prevented  her  from  saying  more,  and  she  began 
to  sob.  Rougon  was  at  a  loss  to  know  what  it  meant,  and 
looked  at  the  two  women  in  astonislnnent.  Then  Made- 
moiselle Herminie  Billecoq  also  began  to  cry,  but  less  demon- 
stratively than  INIadame  Correur.  She  was  a  very  sensitive 
young  person,  and  was  readily  affected  by  another's  grief. 

'  Monsieur  Martineau  has  compromised  himself  in  politics,' 
she  stammered  amidst  her  tears. 

Thereupon  Madame  Correur  began  to  speak  with  great 
volubility.  '  You  will  remember,'  she  said,  '  that  I  hinted  my 
fears  to  you  one  day.  I  had  a  presentnnent  of  what  would 
happen.  Martireia  was  showing  Republican  proclivities.  At 
the  last  election  he  behaved  very  wildly,  and  made  the  most 
desperate  exertions  in  favour  of  the  opposition  candidate.  I 
was  aware  of  things  which  I  don't  want  to  mention.  How- 
ever, it  was  all  bound  to  have  a  bad  result.  When  I  got  to 
the  Golden  Lion  at  Coulonges,  where  we  had  engaged  a  room, 
I  questioned  the  people  there,  and  I  learnt  a  good  deal  more 
from  them.  JMartineau  has  been  guilty  of  all  kinds  of  follies. 
No  one  in  the  neighbourhood  would  be  surprised  if  he 
were  to  be  arrested.  Every  day  they  expect  to  see  the 
gendarmes  come  and  take  him  oft'.  You  can  imagine  what  a 
shock  this  was  to  me  !  And  so  I  thought  of  you,  my  dear 
friend ' 

Her  utterance  was  again  choked  by  her  sobs.  Then 
Rougon  tried  to  reassure  her.  He  would  mention  the  subject 
to  Du  Poizat,  he  said,  and  he  would  stoj)  any  proceedings  that 
might  have  been  instituted.  '  I  am  the  master,'  he  even 
added  ;  '  come,  go  to  bed  and  sleep  quietly.' 

But  INIadame  Correur  shook  her  head  and  twisted  her 
pocket-handkerchief.  Her  eyes  were  quite  dry  now.  '  Ah  ! 
you  don't  know  everything,'  she  said.  '  It  is  a  more  serious 
matter  than  you  suppose.  He  takes  Madame  Martineau  to 
mass,  but  stays  outside  himself  and  proclaims  that  he  never 


A    TRIP  TO  NIORT  239 

sets  foot  in  a  cliurcli ;  and  tins  causes  a  dreadful  scandal 
every  Sunday.  Then,  too,  he  frequents  a  retired  lawyer  in 
the  neighbourhood,  one  of  the  men  of  '48,  and  can  be  heard 
talking  to  him  for  hours  in  the  most  dreadful  way.  Suspicious- 
looking  men,  too,  have  often  been  seen  to  slip  into  his  garden 
at  night-time,  with  the  intention,  no  doubt,  of  receiving 
directions  from  him.' 

Rougon  shrugged  his  shoulders  at  each  fresh  detail,  but 
Mademoiselle  Herminie  Billecoq,  as  though  shocked  by  such 
tolerance,  added  sharply :  '  And  he  receives  letters  with  red 
seals  from  all  sorts  of  countries.  The  postman  told  us  that. 
He  didn't  want  to  speak  about  it  at  first,  he  was  quite  pale. 
We  had  to  give  him  twenty  sous.  And  then,  a  month  ago. 
Monsieur  Martineau  left  home  for  a  week,  without  anyone  in 
the  neighbourhood  having  the  slightest  idea  where  he  went. 
The  landlady  of  the  Golden  Lion  told  us  that  he  hadn't  even 
taken  any  luggage  with  him.' 

'  Herminie,  I  beg  of  you  to  be  quiet !  '  said  Madame 
Correur  uneasily.  '  Martineau  has  got  quite  sufficient  against 
him  as  it  is.     There  is  no  occasion  for  us  to  add  any  more.' 

Rougon  was  now  listening  and  glancing  at  the  two  women 
in  turn.     He   had    become  very  serious.     '  Well,   if   he  has 

compromised  himself  so  much  as  that '  he  began,  pausing, 

however,  as  he  fancied  that  he  could  detect  a  fiery  gleam 
igniting  in  Madame  Correur's  troubled  eyes.  '  Well,  I  will 
do  all  I  can,'  he  resumed ;  '  but  I  make  no  promises.' 

'  It  is  all  up  wuth  him  ;  it  is  all  up  with  him  ! '  exclaimed 
Madame  Correur.     '  I  feel  quite  certain  of  it.     We  don't  want 

to  say  anything ;  but  if  we  told  all '     Then  in  her  turn 

she  paused  and  began  to  bite  her  pocket  handkerchief.  '  And 
to  think  that  I  hadn't  seen  him  for  twenty  years,  and  have 
only  now  just  seen  him  to  be  parted  from  him  for  ever,  per- 
haps !     He  was  so  kind,  so  very  kind  !  ' 

Herminie,  however,  gently  shrugged  her  shoulders  and 
made  signs  to  Rougon,  as  if  to  tell  him  that  he  must  excuse  a 
sister's  despair,  but  that  the  old  attorney  was  really  a  great 
rascal.  'If  I  were  you,'  she  said  to  Madame  Correur,  'I 
would  tell  everything.     It  will  be  much  the  best.' 

Then  the  elder  woman  seemed  to  brace  herself  up  for  a  great 
effort.  '  You  remember,'  she  said,  lowering  her  voice,  '  the 
"  Te  Deums,"  which  w^ere  sung  everywhere,  when  the  Em- 
peror so  miraculously  esc  iped  being  murdered  in  front  of  the 
Opera-house  ?     Well,  on  the  very  day  when  they  were  singing 


240  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

the  "  Te  Deum  "  at  Coulonges,  one  of  Martineau's  neighbours 
asked  him  if  he  wasn't  going  to  church,  and  the  wretched 
man  rephed,  "  Why  should  I  go  to  church,  indeed?  I  don't 
care  a  lig  for  your  Emperor  !  "  ' 

'  I  don't  care  a  fig  for  your  Emperor ! '  repeated  Made- 
moiselle Herminie  Billecoq,  with  an  air  of  consternation. 

'  You  can  understand  my  alarm  now,'  continued  the  retired 
boarding-house  keeper.  '  As  I  told  you  before,  no  one  in  the 
neighbourhood  would  be  the  least  surprised  to  see  him 
arrested.' 

As  she  spoke  these  last  words,  she  fixed  her  eyes  search- 
ingly  on  Kougon,  He  made  no  immediate  reply.  He  seemed 
to  be  trying  to  read  her  llabby  face,  her  pale  eyes,  which  blinked 
beneath  light  and  scanty  brows.  For  a  moment  his  gaze 
rested  on  her  plump  white  neck.  Then  he  threw  out  his  arms 
and  said  ;  '  I  can  do  nothing,  I  assure  you.  I  am  not  the 
master.' 

And  he  gave  his  reasons.  He  felt  certain  scruples,  he 
said,  about  interfering  in  affairs  of  this  kind.  If  the  law  had 
been  invoked,  matters  would  have  to  take  their  course.  It 
would  even  have  been  better  if  he  had  not  known  Madame 
Correur,  as  his  friendship  for  her  would  tie  his  hands,  for  he 
had  sworn  never  to  render  certain  services  to  his  friends. 
However,  he  would  inquire  into  the  matter.  And  he  tried  to 
console  her,  as  though  her  brother  were  already  on  his  way 
to  some  penal  settlement.  She  bent  her  head,  and  her  sobs 
shook  the  big  coil  of  light  hair  which  lay  on  the  nape  of  her 
neck.  Presently  she  grew  calmer,  and  as  she  took  leave, 
she  pushed  Herminie  in  front  of  her,  exclaiming  :  '  Made- 
moiselle Herminie  Billecoq ;  but  I  fancy  I  have  already 
introduced  her  to  you.  Please  excuse  me,  my  head  is  in  such 
a  state.  She  is  the  young  lady  for  whom  we  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  dowry.  The  officer  who  seduced  her  has  not  yet 
been  able  to  marry  her  on  account  of  the  interminable  for- 
malities which  have  to  be  gone  through.  Thank  his  excel- 
lency, my  dear.' 

The  tall  girl  expressed  her  thanks,  blushing,  as  she  did  so, 
like  an  innocent  maiden  in  whose  presence  some  indelicate 
remark  has  been  made.  Madame  Correur  let  her  leave  the 
room  before  her  ;  then  she  pressed  Rougon's  hand  tightly, 
and,  bending  towards  him,  said  :   '  I  rely  upon  you,  Eugene  ! ' 

When  the  minister  returned  to  the  little  drawing-room,  he 
found  it  deserted.     Du  Poizat  had  succeeded  in  getting  rid  of 


A    TRIP  TO  NIORT  241 

the  deputy,  the  mayor's  assessor  and  the  six  members  of  tbe 
Statistical  Society.  M.  Kahn  had  also  taken  his  departure,  after 
making  an  appointment  for  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning.  In 
the  dining-room  there  only  remained  the  head-master's  wife 
and  Gilquin,  who  were  eatiug  little  cakes,  and  chatting  about 
Paris.  Gilquin  made  soft  eyes  at  the  lady  and  talked  to  her 
about  the  races,  the  picture-sbows,  and  a  new  piece  at  the 
Comedie  Franc^aise,  with  the  ease  of  a  man  to  whom  all  kinds 
of  life  were  familiar.  The  head-master,  in  the  meantime,  was 
speaking  in  a  low  tone  to  the  prefect  about  the  fourth  form 
professor,  who  was  suspected  of  Republican  proclivities. 

However,  eleven  o'clock  struck.  The  remainnig  visitors 
rose  and  bowed  to  his  excellency,  and  Gilquin  was  just  about 
to  retire  with  the  head-master  and  bis  wife,  to  the  latter  of 
whom  he  had  offered  his  arm,  when  Rougon  detained  him. 

'  Monsieur  le  Commissaire,'  he  said,  '  a  word  with  you,  I 
beg.' 

When  they  were  alone  together,  he  addressed  himself  to 
the  commissary  and  prefect  simultaneously  :  '  What  is  this 
business  of  Martineau's  ?  '  he  asked.  *  Has  the  man  really 
compromised  himself  ?  ' 

Gilquin  smiled,  and  Du  Poizat  proceeded  to  give  a  few 
particulars  :  *  I  wasn't  thinking  of  taking  any  steps  in  the 
affair,'  he  said.  '  The  man  has  certainly  been  denounced  to 
me,  and  I  have  received  letters  about  him.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  he  mixes  himself  u^-  m  politics.  But  there  have  already 
been  four  arrests  in  tbe  department,  and  I  should  have  pre- 
ferred making  up  my  five,  which  was  tbe  number  you  fixed, 
by  locking  up  the  master  of  the  fourth  form  at  the  college 
here  who  reads  revolutionary  books  to  his  pupils.' 

'  I  have  been  told  of  some  very  serious  things,'  said 
Rougon  sternly.  '  His  sister's  tears  must  not  be  allowed  to 
save  this  man  Martineau,  if  he  is  really  as  dangerous  as  is 
alleged.  The  public  safety  is  at  stake.'  Tben  he  turned 
towards  Gilquin.  '  What  is  your  opinion  on  the  matter  ?  '  he 
asked. 

'I  will  arrest  him  in  tbe  morning,'  the  commissary  replied. 
*  I  know  all  about  the  matter.  I  have  seen  Madame  Correur 
at  the  Hotel  de  Paris,  wbere  I  generally  dine.' 

Du  Poizat  made  no  objection.  He  took  a  little  memo- 
randum-book from  bis  pocket,  struck  out  a  name,  and  wrote 
another  in  its  place,  at  the  same  time  recommending  tbe  com- 
missary of  police  to  keep  his  eye  upon  the  master  of  the 

14 


242  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

fourth  form,  Rougon  accompanied  Gilquin  to  the  door. 
'  This  man  Martineau  is  not  very  well,  I  believe,'  he  said. 
'  Go  to  Coulonges  yourself,  and  treat  him  decently.' 

Gilquin  pulled  himself  up  with  an  offended  air,  and  setting 
aside  all  respect  for  his  excellency,  familiarly  exclaimed : 
'  Do  you  take  me  for  a  mere  common  policeman  ?  Ask  Du 
Poizat  to  tell  you  about  the  druggist  whom  I  arrested  on  the 
day  before  yesterday.  There  was  a  lady  with  him,  but  nobody 
knows  it.     I  always  act  with  the  greatest  discretion.' 

Eougon  slept  soundly  for  nine  hours.  When  he  opened 
his  eyes  the  next  morning,  at  about  half-past  eight,  he  sent  a 
message  for  Du  Poizat  to  come  to  him.  The  prefect  arrived 
with  a  cigar  in  his  mouth,  and  seemed  in  high  spirits.  They 
talked  and  joked  together  as  they  had  done  in  former  days, 
when  they  had  lodged  at  Madame  Correur's,  and  had  roused 
each  other  with  playful  slaps.  However,  while  the  minister 
was  washing,  he  questioned  the  prefect  about  the  neigh- 
bourhood, asking  for  particulars  of  the  different  officials  and 
their  various  desires  and  vanities.  He  wanted  to  have  a 
pleasant  remark  ready  for  each  of  them. 

'  Oh,  don't  worry  yourself,'  replied  Du  Poizat,  with  a 
laugh  ;  '  I  will  prompt  you.' 

Then  he  gave  him  some  information  about  the  different 
people  with  whom  he  would  come  into  contact.  Rougon 
occasionally  made  him  repeat  what  he  said  in  order  to  impress 
it  upon  his  memory.  At  ten  o'clock,  M.  Kahn  made  his 
appearance.  They  all  three  had  dejeuner  together,  and 
finally  arranged  the  details  of  the  ceremony.  The  prefect 
would  make  a  speech,  as  would  also  M.  Kahn.  Eougon 
would  follow  the  latter  ;  but  they  considered  that  a  fourth 
speech  would  be  desirable.  For  a  moment  they  thought  of 
the  mayor,  but  Du  Poizat  declared  that  he  was  a  stupid  fel- 
low, and  advised  the  selection  of  the  chief  surveyor  of  bridges 
and  highways,  to  whom  the  proceedings  of  the  day  naturally 
seemed  to  point,  though  M.  Kahn  was  afraid  of  this  official's 
spirit  of  criticism.  As  they  got  up  from  table,  M.  Kahn  took 
the  minister  aside  to  tell  him  of  the  points  which  he  hoped 
he  would  bring  forward  in  his  speech. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  the  party  should  meet  at  the 
prefecture  at  half- past  ten.  The  mayor  and  his  assessor  arrived 
together.  The  former  stammered  forth  his  unbounded  regret 
that  he  had  been  absent  from  Niort  on  the  previous  evening, 
while  the  latter  affectedly  hoped  that  his  excellency  had  slept 


A    TRIP   TO  NIORT  243 

well,  and  had  quite  recovered  from  his  fatigue.  Then  the 
President  of  the  Civil  Tribunal,  the  pubUc  prosecutor  and  his 
two  assessors,  and  the  chief  surveyor  of  bridges  and  highways 
made  their  appearance.  They  were  quickly  followed  by  the 
receiver-general,  the  comptroller  of  the  direct  taxes,  and  the 
registrar  of  the  department.  Several  of  these  officials  were 
accompanied  by  their  wives.  The  wife  of  the  head-master  of 
the  college,  the  beautiful  blonde,  wore  a  most  effective  sky- 
blue  dress,  and  attracted  great  attention.  She  begged  his 
excellency  to  excuse  her  husband,  who  had  been  prevented 
from  coming  by  an  attack  of  gout,  which  had  seized  him  soon 
after  his  return  home  on  the  previous  evening.  However, 
other  personages  were  arriving  ;  the  colonel  of  the  seventy- 
eighth  regiment  of  the  Line,  which  was  stationed  at  Niort ; 
the  President  of  the  Tribunal  of  Commerce,  the  two  justices 
of  the  peace,  the  conservator  of  rivers  and  forests,  accom- 
panied by  his  three  daughters,  with  various  municipal  coun- 
cillors and  delegates  from  the  consultative  Chamber  of  Arts 
and  Manufactures,  the  Statistical  Society,  and  the  Council  of 
the  Board  of  Arbitration  between  employers  and  employed. 

The  reception  was  held  in  the  large  drawing-room  of  the 
prefecture.  Du  Poizat  made  the  presentations,  and  the 
minister  received  all  the  guests  with  smiling  bows  as  though 
they  were  old  friends.  He  exhibited  wonderful  knowledge 
about  each  of  them.  He  spoke  to  the  public  prosecutor  of  a 
speech  lately  made  by  him  in  the  course  of  a  trial  for 
adultery  ;  he  asked  the  comptroller  of  taxes,  in  sympathetic 
tones,  after  the  health  of  his  wife,  who  had  been  laid  up  for 
the  last  two  months  ;  he  detained  the  colonel  of  the  seventy- 
eighth  for  a  moment  to  let  him  see  that  he  was  not  un- 
acquainted with  the  brilliant  progress  made  by  his  son  at 
Saint  Cyr ;  he  talked  about  boots  to  a  municipal  councillor, 
who  owned  a  great  boot -making  establishment ;  while  with 
the  registrar,  who  was  an  enthusiastic  archa-ologist,  he  dis- 
cussed a  druidical  stone  which  had  been  discovered  during 
the  previous  week.  Whenever  he  hesitated,  thinking  of  the 
right  thing  to  say,  Du  Poizat  came  to  his  assistance  and 
cleverly  prompted  him  in  a  whisper. 

As  the  President  of  the  Tribunal  of  Commerce  came  into 
the  room  and  bowed  to  him,  Rougon  exclaimed,  in  an  affable 
voice  :  '  Ah  !  are  you  alone,  Monsieur  le  President  ?  At  all 
events  I  trust  that  we  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  your 
wife  at  the  banquet  this  evening ' 


244  ^^S  EXCELLENCY 

He  stopped  short,  noticing  the  expression  of  embarrass- 
ment which  came  over  the  faces  around  him.  Du  Poizat, 
moreover,  nudged  his  elbow.  Then  he  recollected  that  the 
President  of  the  Tribunal  of  Commerce  was  living  apart  from 
his  wife  in  consequence  of  certain  scandals.  He  had  made  a 
mistake.  He  had  thought  that  he  was  addressing  the  other 
president,  the  chief  judge  of  the  Civil  Tribunal.  However, 
he  was  in  no  way  disconcerted.  He  still  smiled ;  and, 
making  no  reference  to  his  unfortunate  remark,  continued, 
with  a  shrewd  air :  'I  have  a  pleasant  piece  of  news  for  yuu, 
monsieur.  I  know  that  my  colleague,  the  Minister  of 
Justice,  has  put  your  name  down  for  the  cross  of  the  Legion 
of  Honour.  Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  have  mentioned  it,  but 
you  will  keep  my  secret.' 

The  President  of  the  Tribunal  of  Commerce  turned  quite 
scarlet.  He  almost  choked  with  joy.  His  friends  pressed 
round  him  to  congratulate  him,  while  Eougon  made  a  mental 
note  of  this  cross— which  he  had  so  opportunely  thought  of 
bestowing— so  that  he  might  not  forget  to  mention  the  matter 
to  his  colleague.  It  was  the  betrayed  husband  that  he  was 
decorating.     Du  Poizat  smiled  with  admiration. 

There  were  now  some  fifty  people  in  the  drawing-room. 
They  still  waited  on ;  but  the  faces  of  many  of  them  were 
beginning  to  show  signs  of  weariness. 

'  Time  is  flying  ;  we  might  perhaps  make  a  start,'  said  the 
minister. 

But  the  prefect  bent  towards  him,  and  explained  that  the 
deputy,  M.  Kahn's  former  opponent,  had  not  yet  arrived. 
Presently,  however,  this  gentleman  made  his  appearance, 
perspiring  profusely.  His  watch  had  stopped,  he  said,  and 
he  had  been  quite  put  out  of  his  reckoning.  Then,  wishing 
to  let  the  company  know  of  his  visit  on  the  previous  evening, 
he  went  on  to  remark,  in  a  loud  voice  :  '  As  I  was  saying  to 

your  excellency  last  night '     And  afterwards  he  walked 

off  alongside  of  Eougon  and  informed  him  that  he  intended 
to  return  to  Paris  on  the  following  morning.  The  Easter 
recess  had  terminated  on  the  previous  Tuesday,  and  the 
Chamber  was  again  sitting.  He  had  considered  it  his  duty, 
however,  to  remain  for  a  few  days  longer  at  Niort  in  order  to 
welcome  his  excellency  to  the  department. 

All  the  guests  trooped  into  the  courtyard  of  the  prefecture, 
where  ten  carriages,  drawn  up  on  either  side  of  the  steps,  were 
awaiting  them.     The  minister,  the  deputy    the  prefect  and 


A    TRIP  TO  NIORT  245 

the  mayor  got  into  the  first  barouche.  The  others  installed 
themselves  as  hierarchically  as  they  could.  There  were  two 
more  barouches  as  well  as  three  victorias,  and  some  waggon- 
ettes with  seats  for  six  or  eight  persons.  The  procession 
formed  up  in  the  Rue  de  la  Prefecture,  and  started  off  at  a 
gentle  trot.  The  ladies'  ribbons  streamed  in  the  air,  and 
here  and  there  their  skirts  protruded  out  of  the  carriages, 
while  the  gentlemen's  black  hats  shone  brightly  in  the  sun. 
The  procession  had  to  pass  through  a  considerable  section  of 
the  town  ;  and,  owing  to  the  rough  pavement  of  the  narrow 
streets,  the  vehicles  jolted  dreadfully  as  they  passed  on  with 
a  crash  like  that  of  iron.  And  at  every  door  and  every 
window  were  townsfolk  who  bowed  in  silence  while  looking 
for  his  excellency,  and  experiencing  much  surprise  when  they 
saw  his  plain  frock-coat  beside  the  prefect's  gold-laced 
miiform. 

On  leaving  the  town,  the  procession  passed  along  a  wide 
promenade  planted  with  magnificent  trees.  It  was  a  warm, 
pleasant,  April  day,  with  a  clear  sky  full  of  sunlight.  The 
road,  which  was  straight  and  level,  lay  between  gardens  gay 
with  blossoming  lilacs  and  apricot  trees.  Presently,  how- 
ever, cultivated  fields  spread  out,  dotted  here  and  there  with 
copses. 

*  That's  a  spinning  mill,  isn't  it?  '  asked  Rougon,  towards 
whom  the  prefect  had  just  bent.  *  A  mill  which  belongs  to 
you,  I  believe,'  he  continued,  addressing  the  mayor,  and 
calling  his  attention  to  a  red  brick  building  on  the  river  bank. 
'  I  have  heard  of  your  new  system  of  wool  carding.  I  will 
try  to  find  time  to  go  and  inspect  all  those  wonders.' 

Then  he  began  to  ask  some  questions  respecting  the 
motive  power  of  the  river.  In  his  opinion,  said  he,  hydraulic 
power,  under  favourable  conditions,  possessed  enormous 
advantages.  He  quite  astonished  the  mayor  by  the  amount 
of  technical  knowledge  he  displayed.  Meantime  the  other 
carriages  followed  on  in  somewhat  irregular  fashion. 
Snatches  of  conversation,  bristling  with  figures,  could  be 
heard  amidst  the  jog-trot  of  the  horses.  Then  a  rippling 
laugh  attracted  everyone's  attention.  It  came  from  the  head- 
master's wife,  whose  sun-shade  had  just  flown  away  and 
fallen  on  to  a  heap  of  stones. 

'  You  have  a  farm  about  here,  haven't  you  ?  '  said  Rougon, 
turning  to  the  deputy  with  a  smile.  '  That's  it  on  the  hill,  if 
I'm  not  mistaken.     What  splendid  meadows  !     I  know  that 


246  BIS  EXCELLENCY 

you  interest  yourself  in  cattle-breeding,  and  won  several 
prizes  at  the  last  shows,' 

Then  they  began  to  talk  about  cattle.  Steeped  in  the 
sunshine,  the  meadows  loolied  like  soft  green  velvet.  Wild 
flowers  were  springing  up  all  over  them.  Athwart  the 
curtains  of  tall  poplar  trees  one  had  glimpses  of  charming  bits 
of  landscape.  However,  an  old  woman  leading  an  ass  came 
along  and  was  obliged  to  stop  at  the  roadside  to  let  the  pro- 
cession pass.  The  ass,  frightened  by  the  sight  of  so  many 
carriages  with  panels  gleaming  in  the  sunshine,  began  to 
bray  ;  but  the  gaily  dressed  ladies  and  begloved  gentlemen 
remained  perfectly  serious. 

The  procession  now  climbed  a  sMght  hill  on  the  left,  and 
then  descended  again.  They  had  reashed  the  scene  of  the 
ceremony.  It  was  a  sort  of  cul-de-sac,  a  hollow  gap  walled  in 
by  hills  on  three  si^es.  Nothing  broke  upon  the  prospect  save 
the  gaping  rniiis  of  a  couple  of  windmills.  And  in  this 
hollow,  in  the  centre  of  a  patch  of  grass  land,  a  tent  of  grey 
canvas,  with  a  wide  crimson  border,  had  been  set  up  ;  its  four 
sides  were  decorated  with  trophies  of  flags.  A  thousand 
sightseers,  middle-class  folks  and  peasants  whose  cuinosity 
had  induced  them  to  walk  over,  had  taken  up  position  in  the 
shade  on  the  right-hand  side,  where  one  of  the  hills  rose  up 
like  an  amphitheatre.  A  detachment  of  the  seventy-eighth 
regiment  was  ranged  in  front  of  the  tent,  opposite  the  Niort 
firemen,  whose  fine  bearing  was  much  noticed  ;  while  a  gang 
of  navvies  in  new  blouses,  with  engineers  in  frock-coats  at 
their  head,  stood  waiting  at  the  edge  of  the  patch  of  grass.  As 
soon  as  the  carriages  appeared,  the  Niort  Philharmonic  Society, 
composed  of  amateur  instrumentalists,  began  to  play  the 
overture  to  '  La  Dame  Blanche.' 

'  Long  live  his  excellency  !  cried  a  few  persons  whose 
voices  were  drowned  by  the  sound  of  the  instruments. 

Rougon  alighted  from  his  carriage,  raised  his  eyes,  and 
looked  about  the  hollow  in  which  he  found  himself,  vexed  to 
find  the  spot  so  small,  so  shut  in,  for  this  seemed  to  detract 
from  the  impressiveness  of  the  ceremony.  He  stood  for  a 
moment  on  the  grass,  waiting  for  some  one  to  receive  him. 
At  last  M.  Kahn  hastened  up.  He  had  left  the  prefecture 
immediately  after  dejeuner,  and  had  just  been  to  examine  the 
mine  which  his  excellency  was  to  fire,  to  see  if  all  were  right. 
It  was  he  who  conducted  the  minister  into  the  tent ;  and 
then  the  guests  followed.     There  Avas  some  little  confusion 


A    TRIP  TO  KIORT  247 

for  a  moment ;  and  Rougon  began  to  ask  for  particulars. 
'  It  is  yonder,  then,  in  that  cutting,  that  the  tunnel  is  to 
commence  ?  ' 

'Exactly,'  replied  M.  Kahn.  'The  first  mine  has  been 
laid  in  that  reddish  rock  where  your  excellency  sees  a  flag 
flying.' 

The  hill-side  at  the  end  of  the  hollow  had  been  broken  up 
by  picks  till  its  rocky  base  was  disclosed  to  view.  Several 
uprooted  trees  were  lying  about  amongst  the  excavations,  and 
the  cutting  was  strewn  with  foliage.  M.  Kahn  pointed  out 
the  course  the  line  would  take.  It  was  marked  by  a  double 
row  of  stakes  stretching  away  amid  grass  and  paths  and 
thickets.  It  was  a  pretty  piece  of  quiet  country  that  they 
were  going  to  rip  up. 

However,  the  guests  and  officials  had  by  this  time  collected 
in  the  tent.  Some  curious  sightseers  in  the  rear  were  bending 
forward  to  glance  through  the  openings,  and  the  instrumenta- 
Hsts  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  was  just  finishing  the 
overture  to  '  La  Dame  Blanche.' 

'  Monsieur  le  ministre,'  suddenly  exclaimed  a  shrill  voice 
which  vibrated  amidst  the  silence,  *  it  is  my  privilege  to  be 
the  first  to  thank  your  excellency  for  having  so  kindly 
accepted  the  invitation  which  we  ventured  to  address  to  you. 
The  department  of  Deux-Sevres  will  ever  preserve  a  grateful 

recollection ' 

It  was  Du  Poizat  who  had  begun  to  speak.  He  stood  some 
three  yards  away  from  Rougon  ;  and  at  the  finish  of  certain 
sentences  they  slightly  bowed  to  one  another.  The  prefect 
went  on  speaking  for  a  good  quarter  of  an  hour.  He  reminded 
the  minister  of  the  brilliant  fashion  in  which  he  had  repre- 
sented the  department  in  the  Legislative  Assembly.  The 
town  of  Niort  had  then  inscribed  his  name  in  its  annals  as 
that  of  a  benefactor,  and  longed  for  any  occasion  upon  which 
it  might  show  its  gratitude.  Every  now  and  then  the  prefect's 
voice  was  quite  lost  in  the  air,  and  only  his  gestures,  an  even, 
regular  working  of  bis  right  arm,  could  be  seen  ;  and  then  the 
crowd  ranged  on  the  hill- side  gave  their  attention  to  the  gold 
embroidery  on  his  sleeve,  which  flashed  brightly  in  the 
sunshine. 

Afterwards,  however,  M.  Kahn  stepped  into  the  middle  of 
the  tent.  He  had  a  very  deep  voice,  and  seemed  to  bark  out 
some  of  his  words.  The  hill-side  gave  ah  echo  which  repeated 
snatches  of  sentences  upon  which  he  lingered  too  complacently. 


248  niS  EXCELLENCY 

He  spoke  of  all  the  long  efforts,  studies  and  toilsome  steps 
which  had  devolved  upon  him  during  neariy  four  years  in  his 
struggle  to  obtain  a  new  line  for  the  district.  Now,  every 
kind  of  prosperity  would  rain  down  upon  the  department. 
The  fields  would  be  fertilised  ;  the  factories  would  double 
their  output ;  and  commerce  would  make  its  way  into  the 
humblest  villages.  To  hear  him  talk,  it  might  have  been 
supposed  that  Deux-Sevrea  was  about  to  b(  come  a  sort  of 
fairy-land,  .with  rivers  of  milk  and  enchanted  groves,  where 
tables  laden  with  good  things  would  await  every  passer-by. 
All  at  once,  however,  he  affected  an  exaggerated  modesty. 
They  owed  him,  said  he,  no  gratitude  whatever.  He  himself 
could  never  have  carried  out  such  a  vast  scheme  without  the 
high  patronage  of  which  he  was  so  proud.  Then,  turning 
towards  Eougon,  he  called  him  '  the  illustrious  minister,  the 
promoter  and  supporter  of  every  useful  and  noble  idea.'  In 
conclusion,  he  dwelt  upon  the  financial  advantages  of  the 
scheme.  At  the  Bourse,  he  said,  people  Avere  fighting  for  the 
shares.  Happy  were  those  who  had  been  able  to  invest  their 
money  in  an  enterprise  with  which  his  Excellency,  the  Minister 
of  the  Interior  had  been  willing  to  connect  his  name  ! 

'  Hear  !  hear  ! '  cried  some  of  the  guests. 

The  mayor  and  several  of  the  officials  grasped  M.  Kalm's 
hand.  He  affected  to  be  greatly  moved.  Outside  there  were 
bursts  of  cheering,  and  the  bandsmen  of  the  Philharmonic 
Society  considered  it  proper  to  strike  up  a  quick  march. 
Thereupon  the  mayor's  assessor  sprang  forward  and  sent  a 
fireman  to  silence  them.  In  the  meantime,  the  chief  surveyor 
of  bridges  and  highways  was  hesitating  and  repeating  that  he 
had  prepared  no  speech  for  the  occasion.  However,  as  the 
prefect  continued  to  press  him,  he  gave  way.  At  this  M.  Kahn 
seemed  very  uneasy,  and  murmured  to  Du  Poizat :  '  You've 
made  a  mistake.     He's  sure  to  say  something  nasty.' 

The  chief  surveyor  was  a  tall,  lean  man,  who  considered 
himself  endowed  with  great  powers  of  irony.  He  spoke  slowly, 
and  gave  a  twist  to  his  mouth  every  time  he  delivered  himself 
of  one  of  his  epigrammatic  thrusts.  He  commenced  his  speech 
by  overwhelming  M.  Kahn  with  praises.  Then  the  unpleasant 
remarks  began  ;  and  he  briefly  criticised  the  projected  railway 
with  all  the  contempt  of  a  government  engineer  for  the  plans 
and  designs  of  a  private  one.  He  referred  to  the  opposition 
scheme  of  the  Western  Company,  which  had  contemplated 
carrying  the  line  past  Thouars,  and  he  laid  stress,  without 


A    TRIP  TO  NIORT  249 

seeming  to  do  so  maliciously,  upon  the  fact  that  the  loop  in 
M.  Kahn's  plan  would  benefit  the  blast-furnaces  at  Bressuire. 
There  was  nothing  obviously  bitter  in  what  he  said,  but 
amidst  his  pleasant  sentences  there  was  many  a  little  stab 
which  could  be  felt  only  by  the  initiated.  He  became,  how- 
ever, more  cruel  tow^ards  the  end  of  his  speech,  when  he 
seemed  to  regret  that  '  the  illustrious  minister '  should  have 
run  the  risk  of  compromising  himself  by  countenancing  an 
undertaking  whose  financial  prospects  were  a  source  of  dis- 
quietude to  all  men  of  experience.  Enormous  sums  of  money 
would  be  wanted,  he  said,  as  well  as  the  greatest  integrity  and 
most  perfect  disinterestedness.  Then,  in  conclusion,  he  gave 
his  mouth  a  twist  and  spoke  in  this  fashion :  '  That  these 
fears,  however,  are  quite  chimerical  we  can  have  no  doubt, 
when  we  see  at  the  head  of  the  undertaking  a  man  whose 
wealth  and  high  commercial  probity  are  so  well  known 
throughout  the  department.' 

A  murmur  of  approval  ran  through  the  audience ;  though 
a  few  people  glanced  at  M.  Kahn,  who  with  pale  lips  was 
endeavouring  to  smile.  Rougon  had  listened  with  his  eyes 
half  closed,  as  though  he  were  inconvenienced  by  the  bright- 
ness of  the  light.  When  he  opened  them  again  they  were 
black  and  stern.  His  original  intention  had  been  to  make 
a  very  brief  speech  indeed  ;  but  he  now  felt  that  he  had  to 
defend  one  of  his  own  band.  With  three  steps  he  reached 
the  edge  of  the  tent,  and  there,  with  a  sweeping  gesture  that 
seemed  to  call  upon  all  France  to  listen  to  him,  he  began  : 
'  Gentlemen,  let  me  in  imagination  overleap  these  hills  wliich 
surround  us  and  embrace  the  whole  empire  at  one  glance, 
and  thus  exalt  the  ceremony  which  has  brought  us  together 
by  making  it  a  festival  of  industrial  and  commercial  labour. 
At  this  very  moment,  while  I  am  now  addressing  you,  from 
the  north  to  the  south  of  the  country  canals  are  being  exca- 
vated, railway  lines  are  being  laid  down,  mountains  are  being 
tunnelled,  bridges  are  being  built ' 

Perfect  silence  had  fallen  all  around.  Not  a  sound  broke 
upon  the  speaker's  words  save  the  rustling  of  the  trees  or  the 
grating  of  some  river-lock  in  the  distance.  The  firemen  striv- 
ing to  bear  themselves  as  martially  as  the  soldiers  beneath  the 
hot  sun,  cast  side-long  glances  at  the  minister,  without  turn- 
ing their  necks.  The  spectators  on  the  hill-side,  however, 
were  taking  their  ease.  Ladies  had  spread  their  handkerchiefs 
on  the  ground  and  were  sitting  on  them  ;  and  two  gentlemen, 


250  ms  EXCELLENCY 

whom  the  sun  was  reaching,  had  just  opened  their  wives' 
parasols.  And  Rougon's  voice  gradually  grew  louder  and 
louder.  He  seemed  ill  at  ease  in  that  little  hollow.  It  was  as 
if  the  narrow  valley  did  not  afford  him  sufficient  space  for  his 
gesticulations.  As  he  threw  his  hands  energetically  in  front 
of  him,  it  seemed  as  if  he  desired  to  sweep  away  all  obstruc- 
tions and  open  out  a  wider  horizon.  Twice  he  gazed  into  the 
air  as  if  seeking  space,  but  nothing  met  his  eyes  on  the  hill 
tops  save  the  gutted  ruins  of  the  windmills  which  were  split- 
ting in  the  sun. 

He  had  taken  up  M.  Kahn's  text  and  was  enlarging  upon 
it.  It  was  not,  he  said,  the  department  of  Deux-Sevres  alone 
that  was  about  to  enter  upon  an  era  of  wonderful  prosperity, 
but  the  whole  of  France,  thanks  to  the  branch  line  from 
Niort  to  Angers.  For  ten  minutes  he  recounted  the  in- 
numerable advantages  which  would  rain  down  upon  the 
people.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  allude  to  the  hand  of 
God.  Then  he  began  to  reply  to  what  had  been  said  by  the 
chief  surveyor,  though  he  in  no  way  discussed  it  or  even 
referred  to  it.  He  simply  said  the  direct  opposite  of  what  the 
surveyor  had  said,  dwelling  for  a  long  time  upon  M.  Kahn's 
devotion,  and  praising  his  great  modesty  and  disinterestedness 
and  nobility  of  mind.  The  financial  aspect  of  the  matter,  he 
said,  caused  him  no  uneasiness  whatever  ;  and  he  smiled  and 
seemed  to  be  sweeping  up  big  piles  of  gold  with  a  rapid 
movement  of  his  hands. 

An  outburst  of  cheering  quite  drowned  his  voice. 

'  One  word  in  conclusion,  gentlemen,'  he  said,  after  wiping 
his  lips  with  his  handkerchief.  That  one  word  lasted  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour.  He  was  growing  excited,  and  went 
further  than  he  had  meant  to  do.  Indeed,  in  his  peroration, 
while  speaking  of  the  grandeur  of  the  reign,  and  extolling  the 
Emperor's  great  abihty,  he  even  hinted  that  his  Majesty 
would  bestow  his  patronage  in  a  special  manner  upon  the 
branch  line  from  Niort  to  Angers.  It  was  as  if  the  under- 
lakmg  had  become  a  State  affair. 

However,  three  great  bursts  of  cheers  rang  out.  A  flight 
of  crows,  skimming  aloft  across  the  cloudless  sky,  took  fright 
with  much  noisy  croaking.  Immediately  the  minister's 
speech  had  finished,  the  Philharmonic  Society  had  begun  to 
play  again,  a  signal  being  given  from  the  tent ;  while  all  the 
ladies  sprang  up,  anxious  to  miss  nothing  of  the  ceremony. 
The  guests  were  smiling  around  Rougon  with  delighted  faces. 


A    TRIP  TO  NIORT  251 

The  mayor,  the  piibhc  prosecutor,  and  the  colonel  of  the 
seventy-eighth  infantry  were  wagging  their  heads  approvingly 
while  listening  to  the  deputy,  who  expressed  his  admiration 
of  his  excellency  in  tones  w4iich,  although  subdued,  were  yet 
loud  enough  to  reach  the  minister's  ears.  However,  it  was 
the  chief  surveyor  of  bridges  and  highways  who  manifested 
the  greatest  enthusiasm.  He  displayed  an  extraordinary 
amount  of  obsequioasness,  and  seemed  quite  thunderstruck 
by  the  great  man's  magnificent  language. 

'  Would  your  excellency  do  me  the  honour  to  follow  me  ?  * 
now  asked  M.  Kahn,  whose  fat  face  was  perspiring  with 
pleasure. 

The  concluding  part  of  the  ceremony  was  at  hand.  His 
excellency  was  about  to  fire  the  first  mine.  Orders  had  just 
been  given  to  the  gang  of  navvies  in  new  blouses.  The  men 
preceded  the  minister  and  M.  Kahn  into  the  cutting  and  drew 
themselves  up  in  two  lines  at  the  far  end.  Then  a  foreman 
who  held  a  piece  of  lighted  rope  presented  it  to  Rougon.  The 
officials,  who  had  remained  in  the  tent,  craned  their  heads 
forward.  Everyone  waited  anxiously.  The  Philharmonic 
Society  was  still  playing. 

'  Will  it  make  very  much  noise  ?  '  the  head-master's  wife 
inquired,  with  an  mieasy  smile,  of  one  of  the  public  prosecu- 
tor's assessors. 

'  That  depends  upon  the  nature  of  the  rock,'  hastily  inter- 
posed the  President  of  the  Tribunal  of  Commerce,  who  at  once 
entered  upon  various  mineralogical  explanations. 

'  I  shall  stuff  up  my  ears,'  murmured  the  eldest  of  the 
three  daughters  of  the  conservator  of  rivers  and  forests. 

Rougon  felt  that  he  was  looking  very  foolish,  standing  in 
the  midst  of  all  these  people  with  the  burning  rope  in  his 
hand.  Up  above,  on  the  hill  crests,  the  ruined  wdndmills 
w^ere  creaking  louder  than  ever  in  the  warm  sunlight.  Then 
he  hastened  to  light  the  fuse,  the  end  of  which,  lying  between 
two  stones,  was  pointed  out  to  Jiim  by  the  foreman.  One  of 
the  navvies  immediately  blew  a  long  blast  on  a  horn,  and  all 
the  gang  hurried  off,  while  M.  Kahn  hastily  pulled  his  excel- 
lency back  into  the  tent,  manifesting  much  anxious  solicitude 
for  his  safety. 

'Well,  why  doesn't  it  go  off ?  '  stammered  the  registrar, 
who  was  blinking  nervously,  and  would  very  much  have  liked 
to  close  his  ears,  as  the  ladies  were  doing. 

The  explosion  did  not  take  place  for  a  couple  of  minutes. 


252  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

It  had  been  considered  prudent  to  have  a  very  long  fuse.  The 
expectation  of  the  company  turned  almost  to  anguish  ;  every 
eye  was  fixed  upon  the  red  rock  ;  some  spectators  fancied 
they  could  see  it  moving,  and  timid  ones  expressed  a  fear  of 
being  struck  by  the  fragments.  At  last  there  was  a  low  rever- 
beration, and  the  rock  split,  while  a  number  of  fragments, 
twice  the  size  of  a  man's  fist,  shot  up  into  the  air  amidst  the 
smoke.  Then  everybody  went  away ;  and  on  all  sides  one 
could  hear  the  same  question  repeated,  '  Don't  you  smell  the 
powder  ?  ' 

In  the  evening  the  prefect  gave  a  dinner,  which  the 
officials  and  functionaries  attended.  For  the  ball  which 
followed  he  had  issued  five  hundred  invitations.  It  was  a 
splendid  affair.  The  great  drawing-room  was  decorated  with 
evergreens ;  and  in  each  corner  a  small  chandelier  had 
been  fixed,  making  with  the  central  one  five  chandeliers 
in  all,  whose  tapers  flooded  the  room  with  brilliant  light. 
Niort  could  remember  no  such  scene  of  magnificence.  The 
light  that  streamed  from  the  six  windows  quite  illuminated  the 
Place  de  la  Prefecture,  where  more  than  two  thousand  inquisi- 
tive sightseers  had  gathered  together,  straining  their  eyes  in 
their  eagerness  to  catch  aglimpse  of  the  dancers.  The  orchestra 
also  could  be  so  distinctly  heard  that  children  got  up  galops  on 
the  footways.  From  nine  o'clock  the  ladies  were  fanning 
themselves,  refreshments  were  being  carried  romid,  and 
quadrilles  were  following  upon  waltzes  and  polkas.  In  cere- 
monious fashion  Du  Poizat  stood  by  the  door,  smilingly 
receiving  the  late  arrivals. 

'  Doesn't  your  excellency  dance  ?  '  the  head-master's  wife 
boldly  asked  of  Eougon.'  She  had  just  arrived,  and  was  wear- 
ing a  dress  of  tarlatan,  spangled  with  gold  stars. 

Eougon  excused  himself,  with  a  smile.  He  was  standing 
in  front  of  one  of  the  windows,  surrounded  by  a  group  of 
guests,  and,  while  joining  in  a  conversation  on  the  desirability 
of  a  new  land  survey,  he  kept  on  glancing  outside.  In  the 
bright  light  which  the  candles  cast  upon  the  houses  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  square,  he  had  just  caught  sight  of 
Madame  Correur  and  Mademoiselle  Herminie  Billecoq  at 
one  of  the  windows  of  the  Hotel  de  Paris.  They  were  stand- 
ing there,  leaning  and  watching  the  ball,  as  though  they  were 
in  a  box  at  a  theatre.  Their  faces  glistened,  and  every  now 
and  then  their  bare  throats  rippled  with  laughter  as  some 
amusing  incident  attracted  their  notice. 


A    TRIP   TO   XIORT  253 

However,  the  head-master's  wife  had  gone  all  round  the 
drawing-room,  looking  somewhat  disconsolate,  and  never 
heeding  the  admiration  which  her  sweeping  train  excited 
among  the  younger  men.  She  was  evidently  looking  for  some 
one,  as  she  thus  stepped  smilingly  and  languidly  along. 

'  Hasn't  Monsieur  le  Commissaire  (Central  arrived  ?  '  she  at 
last  asked  Du  Poizat,  who  was  inquiring  after  her  husband's 
health.     '  I  promised  him  a  waltz.' 

'  Oh,  he's  sure  to  come,'  the  prefect  answered.  '  I  am 
surprised  that  he  is  not  here  already.  He  had  to  go  away  on 
official  business  today;  but  he  told  me  that  he  would  be  back 
by  six  o'clock.' 

After  the  dejeuner  at  the  prefecture,  about  noon,  Gilquin 
had  set  out  from  Niort  on  horseback  to  go  and  arrest  notary 
Martineau.  Coulonges  was  some  twelve  miles  away.  He  cal- 
culated upon  arriving  there  at  two  o'clock,  and  upon  being  able 
to  get  away  by  four,  or  perhaps  a  little  later,  which  would 
leave  him  plenty  of  time  to  attend  the  banquet,  to  which  he 
had  been  in\'ited.  Consequently,  he  did  not  hurry  his  horse, 
but  jogged  along,  while  reflectmg  that  he  would  make  the 
running  at  the  ball  in  the  evening  with  that  pretty  blonde, 
the  head-master's  wife,  whose  only  fault  in  his  eyes  was  that 
she  was  rather  too  shm.  When  he  reached  Couloiages,  he 
dismounted  at  the  Golden  Lion,  where  a  corporal  and  two 
gendarmes  ought  to  have  been  waiting  for  him.  By  arrang- 
ing matters  in  this  way,  he  had  anticipated  that  his  arrival 
would  not  be  noticed ;  and  he  could  hire  a  carriage,  he 
thought,  and  carry  the  notary  off  without  any  of  the 
neighbours  being  any  the  wiser.  The  gendarmes,  howevei', 
were  not  there.  Gilquin  waited  for  them  till  five  o'clock, 
swearing,  and  drinking  grog,  and  looking  at  his  watch  every 
quarter  of  an  hour.  He  should  never  be  able  to  get  back  to 
Niort  in  time  for  the  banquet,  he  muttered.  He  was  just 
having  his  horse  saddled,  when  the  corporal  at  last  made  his 
appearance,  followed  by  his  two  men.  There  had  been  some 
misunderstanding. 

'  Well,  well,  don't  waste  time  in  apologising ! '  cried  the 
commissary  angrily.  '  We've  got  no  time  for  that !  It's 
already  a  quarter-past  five.  Let  us  get  hold  of  our  man  as 
quickly  as  possible.  We  must  be  on  our  way  back  in  another 
ten  minutes.' 

Generally  speaking,  Gilquin  was  a  good-natured  indi- 
vidual.   He  prided  himself  upon  the  urbanity  with  which  he 


2  54  -fJ^JS  EXCELLENCY 

discharged  bis  official  duties.  That  day  he  had  even  ar- 
ranged an  elaborate  scheme,  by  which  he  hoped  to  spare 
Madame  Correur's  brother  any  violent  emotion.  It  had  been 
his  intention  to  enter  the  house  alone,  while  the  gendarmes 
waited  with  the  carriage  near  the  garden-gate,  in  a  little  lane 
which  looked  on  to  the  open  country.  But  his  three  hours' 
waiting  at  the  Golden  Lion  had  so  exasperated  him  that  he 
forgot  all  these  fine  precautions.  He  walked  through  the 
village,  and  rang  loudly  at  the  street-door  of  the  notary's 
house.  One  of  the  gendarmes  was  posted  at  this  door,  and 
the  other  was  directed  to  go  round  and  keep  a  watch  on  the 
garden-wall.  The  corporal  went  in  with  the  commissary. 
Ten  or  a  dozen  scared  villagers  watched  them  from  a 
distance. 

The  servant  who  opened  the  door  was  seized  with  childish 
terrorat  the  sight  of  the  uniforms,  and  rushed  away,  crying  at 
the  top  of  her  voice  :  '  Madame!  Madame  !  Madame! ' 

A  short  plump  woman,  whose  face  maintained  an  expres- 
sion of  perfect  calm,  came  slowly  down  the  staircase. 

'  Madame  Martineau,  I  presume  ?  '  said  Gilquin  rapidly. 
*  I  have  a  painful  duty  to  perform,  madame.  I  have  come  to 
arrest  your  husband.' 

Madame  Martineau  clasped  her  short  hands,  while  her  pale 
lips  began  to  quiver.  But  she  uttered  no  cry.  She  remahied 
standing  on  the  bottom  step,  blocking  the  way  with  her 
pkirts.  Then  she  asked  Gilquin  to  show  her  his  warrant,  and 
required  explanations,  doing  all  she  could  to  cause  a  delay. 

'  Be  careful !  He'll  slip  through  our  fingers  if  we  don't 
mind,'  the  corporal  murmured  in  the  commissary's  ear. 

Madame  Martineau  probably  heard  this  remark,  for  she 
looked  at  the  two  men  with  her  calm  eyes,  and  said :  '  Come 
upstairs,  gentlemen.' 

She  went  up  in  front  of  them  and  took  them  into  a  room, 
in  the  middle  of  which  stood  M.  Martineau  in  his  dressing 
gown.  Upon  hearing  the  servant's  cries  of  alarm  he  had 
risen  from  the  arm-chair  in  which  he  spent  most  of  his  time. 
He  was  very  tall ;  hia  hands  seemed  quite  dead  ;  his  face 
was  as  pale  as  wax ;  and  only  his  eyes — dark,  soft,  and  yet 
determined  eyes — appeared  to  retain  any  life.  Madame 
Martineau  pointed  to  him  in  silence. 

'  I  regret  to  say,  sir,'  began  Gilquin,  '  that  1  have  a 
painful  duty  to  perform.' 

When  he  had  explained  his  errand,  the  notary  nodded  but 


A    TRIP   TO   NIORT  255 

did  not  speak.  A  slight  quiver,  however,  shook  the  dressing- 
gown  which  covered  his  attenuated  hmbs.  At  last,  with  great 
politeness,  he  replied :  '  Very  well,  gentlemen,  I  will  follow 
you.' 

Then  he  began  to  walk  about  the  room,  putting  in  order 
several  articles,  which  were  lying  on  different  pieces  of 
furniture.  For  instance,  he  moved  a  parcel  of  books  to 
another  place.  Then  he  asked  his  wife  for  a  clean  shirt.  The 
trembling  which  was  affecting  him  had  now  become  more 
pronounced.  Madame  Martineau,  seeing  him  totter,  followed 
him  with  outstretched  arms,  ready  to  catch  him  should  he 
fall,  just  as  one  follows  a  little  child. 

'  Come,  sir,  male  haste  ! '  repeated  Gilquin. 

The  notary  took  another  couple  of  turns  round  the  room, 
and  then  suddenly  snatched  at  the  air  with  his  hands,  and  let 
himself  full  into  an  arm-chair,  distorted  and  stiffened  by 
a  paralytic  seizure.     At  this  his  wife  shed  big  silent  tears. 

Gilquin  took  out  his  watch.  '  Confound  it  all ! '  he  cried. 
It  was  half-past  five,  and  he  felt  that  he  must  now  relinquish 
all  hope  of  being  back  at  Niort  in  time  for  the  dinner  at  the 
prefecture.  It  would  take  at  least  another  half  hour  to  get 
this  man  into  a  carriage.  He  tried  to  consolehiniself  with  the 
thought  that  at  any  rate  he  would  not  miss  the  ball,  and  just 
then  he  recollected  that  the  head-master's  wife  had  promised 
him  the  first  waltz. 

'  He's  shamming,'  the  corporal  now  whispered  to  Gilquin. 
'  Shall  I  lift  him  on  to  his  feet  ?  '  And  without  waiting  for  a 
reply,  he  stepped  up  to  the  notary  and  advised  him  not  to 
attempt  to  deceive  justice.  Martineau,  however,  v/as  as  rigid 
as  a  corpse  ;  his  eyes  were  closed  and  his  lips  pinched.  There- 
upon the  corporal  lost  his  temper,  and  indulged  in  strong 
language,  till  at  List  he  laid  his  heavy  hand  on  the  collar  of 
the  notary's  dressing-gown.  But  at  this  Madame  Martineau, 
who  had  hitherto  reujained  passive,  energetically  pushed  him 
aside,  and  planted  herself  in  front  of  her  husband,  clenching 
her  fists  with  an  air  of  devoted  resolution. 

'  He's  shamming,  I  tell  you  !  '  the  corporal  repeated. 

Gilquin  shrugged  his  shoulders.  He  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  carry  the  notary  off"  whether  he  were  dead  or  alive. 
'  Send  one  of  your  men  to  get  the  carriage  from  the  Golden 
Lion,'  he  said  to  the  corporal.  '  I  have  spoken  to  the  landlord 
about  one.' 

When  the  corporal  had  l^ft  the  room,  Gilquin  stepped  up 


2  56  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

to  the  window,  and  looked  complacently  at  the  apricot  trees 
which  were  blossoming  in  the  garden.  He  was  growing  quite 
absorbed  in  his  thoughts,  when  he  felt  a  touch  upon  his 
shoulder.  Madame  Martineau  stood  behind  him.  Her  cheeks 
were  quite  dry  now,  and  she  spoke  in  a  calm  steady  voice. 
'  You  mean  a  carriage  for  yourself,  don't  you '? '  she  asked. 
'  You  surely  can't  think  of  dragging  my  husband  to  Niort,  in 
his  present  state.' 

'  I  have  a  painful  duty  to  perform,  madame  ' — Gilquin 
began  for  the  third  time. 

'  But  it  is  a  crime !  You  will  kill  him  !  '  Madame  Martineau 
interrupted.  '  You  have  not  been  ordered  to  kill  him,  have 
you?' 

'  I  am  acting  under  orders,'  Gilquin  replied  in  a  rougher 
tone,  for  he  wished  to  curtail  the  entreaties  which  he  thought 
were  coming. 

But  a  gleam  of  desperate  anger  flashed  across  Madame 
Martineau's  plump  face,  and  her  eyes  glanced  round  the  room, 
as  though  she  were  trying  to  discover  some  possible  means  of 
saving  her  husband.  However,  she  calmed  herself  by  an  effort, 
and  reverted  to  her  previous  demeanour,  like  a  strong-minded 
woman  who  realises  that  tears  can  be  of  no  service. 

'  God  will  punish  you,  sir,'  she  quietly  said,  after  a  short 
pause,  during  which  she  had  kept  her  eyes  fixed  on  Gilquin. 

Then,  without  a  tear  or  entreaty  she  turned  to  lean  over 
the  chair  in  which  her  husband  lay  dying.  Gilquin  had 
merely  smiled. 

Just  at  this  moment  the  corporal,  who  had  gone  in  person 
to  the  Golden  Lion,  came  back  to  say  that  the  landlord  asserted 
he  had  not  got  a  vehicle  of  any  sort.  The  arrest  of  the  notary, 
who  was  extremely  popular  in  the  neighbourhood,  must  have 
been  noised  abroad,  and  the  landlord  was  doubtless  concealing 
his  conveyances  ;  for  two  hours  previously,  when  the  com- 
missary had  questioned  him  on  the  subject,  he  had  promised 
to  let  him  have  an  old  brougham  which  he  let  out  for  drives 
in  the  neighbourhood. 

'  Go  and  search  the  inn  !  '  cried  Gilquin,  enraged  by  this 
fresh  obstacle.  '  Search  every  house  in  the  village  !  Do  they 
think  they  will  have  a  game  with  us  ?  And  be  quick,  I  have 
an  engagement  to  keep,  and  have  no  time  to  spare.  I  give 
you  a  quarter  of  an  hour.' 

The  corporal  hurried  off  again,  taking  his  men  with  him  ; 
and  each  went  in  a  different  directioii.     Three-quarters  of  an 


A    TRIP  TO  NIORT  257 

hour  passed,  however,  and  then  another  quarter,  and  then 
another.  At  the  end  of  an  hour  and  a  half  one  of  the 
gendarmes  returned  with  a  very  long  face.  All  his  searching 
had  been  futile.  Gilquin,  who  had  grown  feverishly  excited, 
kept  rushing  about  and  looking  out  of  the  window  into  the 
twihght.  The  ball  would  certainly  begin  without  him,  he 
reflected,  and  the  head-master's  wife  would  consider  hiia 
guilty  of  great  discourtesy.  Each  time  that  he  went  past  the 
notary's  chair  he  almost  choked  with  anger.  Never  had  any 
criminal  caused  him  so  much  trouble  as  that  man  who  lay 
there  perfectly  motionless,  becoming  ever  paler  and  colder. 

It  was  past  seven  o'clock  when  the  corporal  returned  with 
a  beaming  countenance.  He  had  at  last  discovered  the  land- 
lord's old  brougham,  concealed  in  a  shed  half  a  mile  from  the 
village.  The  horse  was  harnessed  and  between  the  shafts,  and 
it  was  the  animal's  snorting  which  had  enabled  him  to  discover 
it.  However,  when  the  vehicle  was  at  the  door,  it  became 
necessary  to  dress  M.  Martineau,  and  this  took  a  very  long 
time.  His  wife  very  slowly  and  deliberately  put  him  on  some 
clean  white  stockings  and  a  clean  white  shirt.  Then  she 
dressed  him  in  black  from  head  to  foot  ;  black  trousers,  frock- 
coat  and  waistcoat.  She  would  not  allow  the  gendarmes  to 
render  her  the  slightest  assistance.  The  notary  quietly  yielded 
to  her  touch.  A  lamp  had  been  lighted,  and  Gilquin  stood 
tapping  his  hands  together  impatiently,  while  the  corporal 
remained  perfectly  still,  his  three-cornered  hat  casting  a  huge 
shadow  upon  the  ceiling. 

'  Come,  come,  haven't  you  done  now  ?  '  Gilquin  repeated. 

For  the  last  five  minutes  Madame  Martineau  had  been 
searching  in  a  drawer.  At  last  she  produced  a  pair  of  black 
gloves  which  she  put  into  her  husband's  pocket.  '  I  hope,  sir,' 
she  said,  '  that  you  will  allow  me  to  come  in  the  carriage, 
I  should  much  like  to  go  with  my  husband.' 

'  That  is  impossible,'  replied  Gilquin  roughly. 

She  restrained  herself  instead  of  pressing  her  request. 
'  At  any  rate,'  she  said,  '  you  will  allow  me  to  follow  him  ?  ' 

'The  roads  are  free  to  every  one,'  answered  the  commis- 
sary, '  but  you  won't  be  able  to  get  a  vehicle,  as  there  are 
none  in  the  neighbourhood.' 

At  this  Madame  Martineau  shrugged  her  shoulders  slightly, 
and  left  the  room  to  give  an  order.  Ten  minutes  afterwards 
a  gig  drew  up  in  front  of  the  door,  behind  the  brougham.  It 
was  now  necessary  to  get  the  notary  downstairs.     The  two 

s 


2  58  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

gendarmes  carried  him,  while  his  wife  supported  his  head. 
Whenever  the  dying  ma,n  uttered  the  shghtest  groan,  Madame 
Martineaii  imperiously  ordered  the  gendarmes  to  stop,  which 
they  did,  notwithstanding  the  nngry  glances  of  the  commis- 
sary. In  this  way  they  halted  for  a  moment  on  each  succes- 
sive step.  The  notary  looked  like  a  corpse  in  their  arms, 
and  he  was  quite  unconscious  when  they  seated  him  in  the 
carriage. 

'  Half -past  eight !  '  exclaimed  Gilquin  angrily,  looking  at 
his  watch  for  the  last  time.  '  Confound  it  all !  I  shall  never 
get  there  !  ' 

There  was  no  doubt  about  that.  He  would  be  fortunate 
if  he  arrived  before  the  ball  was  half  over.  However,  he 
sprang  on  his  horse  with  an  oath  and  ordered  the  coachman 
to  drive  as  fast  as  he  could.  The  brougham  led  the  way,  the 
gendarmes  riding  at  each  side  of  it ;  then,  a  few  yards  behind, 
followed  the  commissary,  and  the  corporal,  and  last  of  all  came 
the  gig  with  Madame  Martineau.  The  night  air  was  very  sharp. 
The  little  cortege  passed  over  the  long  grey  road  through  all  the 
sleeping  country,  accompanied  by  a  rumbling  of  wheels  and 
the  monotonous  footfalls  of  the  horses.  Not  a  word  was 
spoken  during  the  journey.  Gilquin  was  thinking  of  what  he 
should  say  when  he  met  the  head-master's  wife.  Every  now 
and  then,  however,  Madame  IMartineau  sprang  to  her  feet  in 
the  gig,  fancying  that  she  heard  a  death-rattle,  but  she  could 
scarcely  distinguish  the  brougham  as  it  rolled  on  before  her 
through  the  black  night. 

It  was  half-past  ten  when  they  reached  Niort.  The  com- 
missary, to  avoid  passing  through  the  town,  directed  the 
driver  of  the  brougham  to  go  round  by  the  ramparts.  When 
they  reached  the  gaol,  they  had  to  ring  loudly.  As  soon  as 
the  gatekeeper  saw  the  white,  stiffened  prisoner  they  were 
bringing  him,  he  went  off  to  rouse  the  governor.  The  latter, 
who  was  not  very  well,  soon  made  his  appearance  in  his 
slippers.  And  when  he  saw  Martineau,  he  became  quite 
angry,  and  absolutely  refused  to  receive  a  man  in  such  a  con- 
dition. Did  they  take  the  gaol  for  an  hospital  ?  he  asked 
them. 

'  The  man  has  been  arrested,  and  what  do  you  expect  ua 
to  do  with  him  ?  '  cried  Gilquin,  losing  his  temper  at  this 
fresh  impediment. 

'  Whatever  you  like,  monsieur  le  commissaire,  except  bring 
him   here,'  replied  the  governor.     '  1  again  tell  you  that  I 


1 


A    TRIP  TO  NIORT  259 

refuse  to  receive  him.     I  won't  take  such  a  responsibility  upon 
myself.' 

Madame  Martineau  had  profited  by  this  discussion  to  get 
into  the  brougham  with  her  husband.  And  she  now  pro- 
posed that  he  should  be  tak-jn  to  the  hotel. 

'  Very  well,  to  the  hotel  or  the  devil,  or  wherever  you 
like  !  '  cried  Gilquin.  '  I've  had  quite  enough  of  him  !  Take 
him  along  !  ' 

He  conformed  sufficiently  to  his  duty,  however,  to  accom- 
pany the  notary  to  the  Hotel  de  Paris,  which  Madame  Mar- 
tineau herself  fixed  upon.  The  Place  de  la  Prefecture  was 
now  becoming  empty,  and  only  some  children  were  left  play- 
ing on  the  footways  ;  while  the  middle-class  couples  slowly 
disappeared  into  the  darkness  of  the  neighbouring  streets. 
However,  the  bright  glow  from  the  six  windows  of  the  pre- 
fecture still  made  the  square  almost  as  light  as  day.  The 
band's  brass  instruments  were  blaring,  and  the  ladies'  bare 
shoulders  and  curled  chignons  could  be  seen  between  the  open 
curtains,  circling  round  the  room.  As  the  notary  was  being 
carried  to  the  first  floor,  Gilquin  raised  his  head  and  caught 
sight  of  Madame  Correur  and  Mademoiselle  Billecoq,  who 
were  still  gazing  at  the  festivities.  The  elder  lady,  how- 
ever, must  have  noticed  her  brother,  for,  leaning  out  so  far 
as  to  risk  a  fall,  she  made  an  energetic  sign  to  Gilquin  to 
come  upstairs.     He  did  so. 

Towards  midnight  the  ball  at  the  prefecture  reached  its 
zenith.  The  doors  of  the  dining-room,  where  a  cold  supper 
had  been  laid,  had  just  been  thrown  open.  The  ladies,  with 
hot,  flushed  faces,  fanned  themselves  as  they  stood  up  and  ate, 
amidst  a  deal  of  gay  laughter.  Others  were  still  dancing, 
unwilling  to  lose  a  single  quadrille,  and  contenting  themselves 
with  glasses  of  syrup  and  water,  which  gentlemen  brought  to 
them.  The  room  was  full  of  a  hazy  glitter  of  women's  hair 
and  skirts  and  braceleted  arms.  There  seemed  to  be  too 
much  gold,  too  much  music,  and  too  much  heat ;  and  Rougon, 
who  felt  half  sufl'ocated,  was  glad  indeed  to  make  his  escape  on 
being  discreetly  summoned  by  Du  Poizat. 

Madame  Correur  and  Mademoiselle  Herminie  Billecoq 
were  waiting  for  him  in  the  small  adjoining  salon  where  he 
had  seen  them  on  the  previous  evening.  They  were  both 
crying  bitterly. 

'  My  poor  brother  !  my  poor  Martineau  ! '  stammered 
Madame  Correur,  while  wiping  her  tears  away  with  her  hand- 

b2 


26o  JUS  EXCELLENCY 

kerchief.  '  Ah  !  I  felt  sure  that  you  could  do  nothing  for 
him.     Oh,  why  couldn't  you  have  saved  him  ?  ' 

Kougon  was  going  to  say  something,  but  she  would  not 
give  him  time. 

'  He  has  been  arrested  to-day,'  she  continued.  '  I  have 
just  seen  him.     Oh  dear  !  oh  dear  ! ' 

'  Don't  distress  yourself,'  replied  Rougon,  at  last.  '  The 
matter  shall  be  looked  into,  and  I  hope  that  we  shall  be  able 
to  obtain  his  release.' 

Thereupon  Madame  Correur  ceased  dabbing  her  eyes  with 
her  handkerchief.  She  looked  at  Rougon  and  exclaimed  in 
lier  natural  voice  :  '  But  he  is  dead  !  '  Then  again  she  re- 
lapsed into  a  disconsolate  tone  and  buried  her  face  in  her 
handkerchief.  '  Oh  dear !  Oh  dear !  my  poor,  poor  Mar- 
tineau  !  ' 

Dead  !  A  sudden  tremor  passed  through  Rougon's  body. 
He  could  not  find  a  word  to  say.  For  the  first  time  he 
became  conscious  of  a  pit  before  him,  a  dark  gloomy  pit  into 
which  he  was  being  gradually  driven.  To  think  that  the  man 
was  dead  !  He  had  never  intended  that  anything  of  that  kind 
should  happen.     Things  had  gone  too  far. 

'  Alas  !  yes,  the  poor  dear  man  is  dead,'  said  Mademoiselle 
Herminie  Billecoq,  with  a  deep,  long-drawn  sigh.  '  It  seems 
that  they  refused  to  receive  him  at  the  gaol.  Then,  when  we 
saw  him  arriving  at  the  hotel  in  such  a  pitiable  condition, 
madame  went  down  and  insisted  upon  being  admitted,  saying 
that  she  was  his  sister.  A  sister  may  surely  claim  to  receive 
her  brother's  last  breath.  That  is  what  I  said  to  that  hussy 
of  a  Madame  Martineau,  who  threatened  to  turn  us  out  of  the 
room.  But  we  forced  her  to  let  us  remain  by  the  bedside. 
MouDieu  !  it  was  soon  all  over.  The  death  agony  only  lasted 
an  hour.  The  poor  man  was  lying  on  the  bed  dressed  all  in 
black.  Anyone  would  have  thought  that  he  was  a  notary  just 
going  to  a  marriage.  And  he  died  out  just  like  a  candle- 
tlame,  with  a  little  twist  of  his  face.  He  couldn't  have  had 
much  pain.' 

'  And  then — would  you  believe  it  ? — Madame  Martineau 
actually  tried  to  pick  a  quarrel  with  me,'  cried  Madame 
Correur.  '  I  don't  know  what  she  was  driving  at,  but  she 
spoke  about  my  brother's  property,  and  accused  me  of  having 
given  him  the  last  stroke.  I  said  to  her,  "  If  I  had  been  there, 
madame,  I  would  never  have  allowed  him  to  be  taken  away,  I 
would  have  let  the  gendarmes  hew  me  in  pieces  sooner !  "  And 


A    TRIP  TO  NIORT  26  r 

they  should  have  hewn  me  in  pieces  sooner !     I  told  you  so, 
didn't  I,  Herminie  ?  ' 

'  Yes,  yes,  indeed,'  said  the  tall  girl. 

'Well,  I  know  my  tears  won't  bring  him  to  life  again,' 
continued  Madame  Correur  ;  '  but  I'm  crying  because  I  can't 
help  it.     Oh,  my  poor  Martineau  !  ' 

Rougon  felt  very  ill  at  ease.  He  drew  back  his  hands 
which  Madame  Correur  had  grasped.  Still  he  could  not  think 
of  anything  to  say,  shocked  as  he  was  by  the  story  of  this 
death  which  seemed  so  abominable  to  him. 

'  Look  ! '  exclaimed  Herminie,  who  was  standing  in  front 
of  the  window,  '  you  can  see  the  room  from  here  in  this  bright 
light.  It  is  the  third  window  to  the  left,  on  the  first  floor. 
There  is  a  light  behind  the  curtains.' 

However,  Rougon  dismissed  them,  while  Madame  Correur 
in  return  apologised  for  having  troubled  him,  calling  him  her 
friend,  and  saying  that  her  first  impulse  had  been  to  come  and 
tell  him  the  fatal  news. 

'  It  is  a  very  annoying  business,'  Rougon  whispered  to  Du 
Poizat,  when  he  returned  to  the  ball-room,  with  his  face  still 
pale. 

'  It  is  all  that  idiot  Gilquin's  doing  ! '  replied  the  prefect, 
shrugging  his  shoulders. 

The  ball  was  still  going  on  merrily.  In  the  dining-room, 
a  part  of  which  could  be  seen  through  the  open  door,  the 
mayor's  assessor  was  stuffing  the  three  daughters  of  the  con- 
servator of  rivers  and  forests  with  sweetmeats  ;  while  the 
colonel  of  the  seventy-eighth  was  drinking  punch  and  listening 
attentively  to  the  cutting  remarks  of  the  chief  surveyor  of 
bridges  and  highways,  who  was  munching  sugared  almonds. 
M.  Kahn,  near  the  door,  was  repeating  to  the  President  of  the 
Civil  Tribunal  the  speech  which  he  had  delivered  in  the 
afternoon  on  the  advantages  of  the  new  railway  line  ;  and 
round  them  stood  a  group  of  grave-faced  men,  the  comptroller 
of  taxes,  the  two  justices  of  the  peace,  and  the  delegates  from 
the  consultative  Chamber  of  Agriculture  and  the  Statistical 
Society,  all  with  gaping  mouths.  Then  around  the  ball-room, 
in  the  glow  of  the  chandeliers,  the  dancers  revolved  to  the 
music  of  a  waltz,  which  the  band  blared  forth.  The  son  of 
the  receiver-general  was  dancing  with  the  mayor's  sister  ;  one 
of  the  public  prosecutor's  assessors  was  with  a  girl  in  blue  ; 
and  the  other  with  a  girl  in  pink.  But  one  couple  excited 
particular   admiration,  that  composed  of   the  commissary  of 


262  ^  BIS  EXCELLENCY 

police  and  the  head-master's  wife,  who  slowly  revolved  in  a 
close  embrace.  Gilquin  had  hurried  off  to  array  himsell 
irreproachably  in  black  dress-coat,  patent-leather  boots  and 
white  gloves,  and  the  beautiful  blonde,  having  forgiven  him  foi 
his  tardy  arrival,  was  now  nestling  against  his  shoulder,  with 
languishing  eyes.  Gilquin  threw  his  chest  forward,  and  brought 
ihe  motion  of  his  hips  into  strong  prominence,  a  vulgarism, 
which  seemed  to  delight  the  spectators  as  if  it  had  been  some- 
thing very  tasteful.  And  as  the  pair  revolved  round  the  room 
they  all  but  came  into  colhsion  with  Rougon,  who  had  to  step 
back  to  ihe  very  wall  to  let  them  pass  him  in  a  whirling  cloud 
of  tarlatan,  spangled  with  golden  stars. 


XI 

IN   COUNCIL   AT   ST.   CLOUD 

Rougon  had  at  last  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  portfolio  of 
Agriculture  and  Commerce  for  Delestang.  One  morning, 
early  in  May,  he  went  to  the  Rue  da  Colisee  to  fetch  his  new 
colleague,  for  there  was  to  be  a  ministerial  council  at  Saint 
Cloud,  where  the  Court  had  just  gone  to  reside. 

'What!   are  you  coming  with  us?'   Rougon  exclaimed  in 
surprise,  as  he  saw  Clorinde  taking  her  place  in  the  landau    ■ 
which  was  standing  in  front  of  the  steps.  I 

'  Yes,'  she  answered,  with  a  laugh  ;  '  yes,  I'm  going  to  the  " 
council,  too.'  Then,  when  she  had  arranged  the  flounces  of  her 
long  gownof  pale  cherry- coloured  silk,  sheadded.more  seriously: 
'  I  have  an  appointment  with  the  Empress.  I  am  treasurer 
of  a  society  for  assisting  young  work-girls  in  which  she  is 
interested.' 

In  their  turn  the  two  men  took  their  places.  Delestang 
sat  down  by  his  wife's  side.  He  had  with  him  a  brown 
morocco  portfolio,  which  he  kept  upon  his  knees.  Rougon  sat 
opposite  Clorinde,  and  carried  nothing.  It  was  nearly  half- 
past  nine,  and  the  council  was  fixed  for  ten,  so  the  coachman 
was  ordered  to  drive  as  quickly  as  he  could.  To  make  a  short 
cut,  therefore,  he  went  along  the  Rue  Marbeuf,  and  thence 
through  the  Chaillot  district,  which  the  demolishers  were 
already  ripping  up.  There  were  deserted  streets  fringed  with 
gardens  and  wooden  shanties,  steep  winding  nassages   and 


IN  COUNCIL  AT  ST.    CLOUD  263 

little  neglected  squares,  planted  with  sickly-looldng  trees.  It 
was  a  strange  patch  of  the  great  city,  a  medley  of  villas  and 
cabins,  basking  on  a  hill-side  in  the  bright  morning  sunshine. 

'  How  hideous  it  is  here  ! '  said  Clorinde,  lying  back  in  the 
landau. 

Then,  half-turning,  she  glanced  at  her  husband,  at  first 
gravely,  but  afterwards,  as  though  she  could  not  help  it,  she 
began  to  smile.  Delestang,  with  his  frock-coat  buttoned 
round  him,  was  sitting  primly  erect.  His  handsome,  thought- 
ful face,  and  premature  baldness,  which  gave  an  appearance 
of  great  height  to  his  brow,  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
passers-by.  Clorinde  noticed  that  no  one  looked  at  Rougon, 
whose  heavy  face  seemed  to  be  asleep.  Presently,  in  a  sort 
of  maternal  manner,  she  pulled  her  husband's  left  wristband 
forward  a  little,  as  it  had  slipped  back  inside  his  sleeve. 

'  What  were  you  doing  last  night  ?  '  she  then  asked  of  the 
great  man,  as  she  saw  him  yaw)iing  behiiid  his  fingers. 

'  I  was  working  very  late,'  he  said.  '  There  were  a  lot  of 
tiresome  things  to  see  to.' 

There  was  another  pause,  and  Clorinde  began  to  study 
Eougon.  He  yielded  unresistingly  to  the  slight  jolting  of  the 
carriage.  His  frock-coat  was  strained  out  of  shape  by  his 
broad  shoulders,  and  his  hat  was  badly  brushed,  and  bore 
marks  of  old  rain  stains.  He  reminded  Clorinde  of  a  jobber 
from  whom  she  had  bought  a  horse  a  month  previously,  and 
a  smile,  with  which  was  mingled  a  touch  of  contempt, 
appeared  upon  her  lips. 

'  Well  ?  '  said  Rougon,  at  last,  feeling  somewhat  annoyed 
by  Clorinde's  prolonged  scrutiny. 

'  Well,'  she  replied,  '  I'm  looking  at  you.  It  isn't  forbidden 
to  do  so,  is  it  ?  You're  not  afraid  that  I  shall  eat  you,  are 
you?' 

She  spoke  these  last  words  with  a  provoking  air,  showing 
her  white  teeth.  Rougon,  however,  began  to  joke.  '  I'm  too 
big  for  that,'  he  said  ;  '  you  wouldn't  be  able  to  get  me  down.' 

'  Oh,  I  don't  know  that,  if  I  were  very  hungry,'  she  gravely 
answered,  after  apparently  considering  her  appetite. 

The  landau  was  now  reaching  the  Porte  de  la  Muette. 
Here,  on  emerging  from  the  narrow  streets  of  the  Chaillot 
district,  the  horizon  suddenly  spread  out  over  the  light  verdure 
of  the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  It  was  a  lovely  morning,  and  the 
distant  turf  was  steeped  in  golden  light,  while  the  young 
leaves  on  the  trees  rustled  gently  in  the  warm  air.     They  left 


264  J^IS  EXCELLENCY 

the  deer-park  on  their  right,  and  took  the  gravelled  avenue 
leading  to  Saint  Cloud.  The  landau  now  rolled  on  without  a 
jolt,  as  lightly  and  softly  as  a  sledge  gliding  through  the  snow. 

'  How  nasty  those  streets  were ! '  said  Clorinde,  as  she 
lolled  back.  '  Well,  we  can  breathe  here,  and  talk.  Have  you 
any  news  of  our  friend  Du  Poizat  ?  ' 

'  Yes,  he's  very  well,'  Rougon  replied. 

'  And  does  he  still  like  his  department  ?  ' 

Rougon  made  a  vague  gesture,  not  wishing  to  give  her 
any  definite  reply.  She  was  aware,  however,  that  the  prefect 
of  Deux-Sevres  was  becoming  a  source  of  some  trouble  to 
him,  on  account  of  the  severity  of  his  administration.  With- 
out pressing  the  point  she  next  began  to  talk  of  M.  Kahn, 
and  Madame  Correur,  and  finally,  with  a  touch  of  mischievous 
curiosity,  she  asked  Rougon  about  his  visit  to  Niort.  Then 
she  broke  off  to  say :  '  By  the  way,  I  met  Colonel  Jobelin  and 
his  cousin  Monsieur  Bouchard  yesterday.  We  talked  about 
you.     Yes,  we  talked  about  you.' 

Rougon  still  kept  silent,  with  his  shoulders  bowed.  To 
rouse  him,  Clorinde  began  to  speak  of  the  past.  *  Do  you 
remember  our  pleasant  little  evenings  in  the  Rue  Marbeuf  ? ' 
she  inquired,  '  Now  you  are  so  busy  that  we  can't  get  near 
you.  Your  friends  complain  about  it.  They  say  that  you  are 
forgetting  them.  I'm  always  quite  frank,  you  know,  and 
conceal  nothing.  Well,  to  tell  the  truth,  they  say  that  you 
are  deserting  them,  my  dear  fellow.' 

At  this  moment,  the  carriage,  which  had  just  passed 
between  the  two  lakes,  encountered  a  brougham  on  its  way 
back  to  Paris,  and  through  the  window  of  the  latter  vehicle 
a  glimpse  was  caught  of  a  sulky-looking  face,  which  hastily 
withdrew,  as  if  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  bowing. 

'  Why,  it's  your  brother-in-law  ! '  exclaimed  Clorinde. 

'  Yes,  he's  not  very  well,'  replied  Rougon,  with  a  smile. 
'  His  doctor  has  ordered  him  to  take  morning  drives.' 

Then  he  suddenly  threw  off  his  reserve,  and  began  to  talk 
freely,  while  the  landau  sped  along  beneath  the  tall  trees  of 
the  gently  curving  avenue. 

'  What  would  you  have  ? '  said  he.  '  I  can't  give  them 
the  moon,  however  much  they  may  cry  for  it !  Take  Beulin- 
d'Orchere,  for  instance,  his  dream  is  to  be  Minister  of  Justice. 
I  have  tried  to  effect  the  impossible,  and  have  sounded  the 
Emperor  on  the  subject;  but  I  can't  get  any  answer.  I  fancy, 
however,  that  the  Emperor  feels  afraid  of  him.     Well,  that 


IN  COUNCIL  AT  ST.    CLOUD  265 

isn't  my  fault,  is  it  ?  Beulind'Orchere  is  first  President  of 
the  Appeal  Court.  That  really  ought  to  satisfy  him  for  the 
present.  And  yet,  you  see,  he  actually  avoids  bowing  to  me. 
He's  a  fool ! ' 

Clorinde  had  lowered  her  eyes,  and  her  fingers  were  play- 
ing with  the  tassel  of  her  sun-shade.  She  now  made  no 
attempt  to  speak,  but  let  Rougon  talk  on  freely. 

'  The  others,'  said  he,  '  are  almost  as  unreasonable.  If  the 
colonel  and  Bouchard  complain  of  me,  they  do  wrong,  for  I 
have  already  done  too  much  for  them.  I  say  that  for  all  my 
friends.  I've  got  a  dozen  millstones  about  my  neck !  Till 
they've  got  the  very  skin  off  my  body  they  won't  be  satisfied! ' 
He  paused  for  a  moment,  and  then  resumed  with  a  good- 
natured  laugh  :  *  Well,  well,  if  they  really  needed  something 
more,  I  would  give  it  to  them.  When  a  man  has  once  opened 
his  hands  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  shut  them  again.  In 
spite  of  all  the  unkind  things  my  friends  say  of  me,  I 
spend  my  time  in  asking  favours  of  all  sorts  for  them.' 

Then  he  touched  Clorinde's  knee  to  force  her  to  look  at 
him. 

'  Well,  now,  about  yourself !  '  he  continued.  '  I  am  going 
to  talk  to  the  Emperor  this  morning.  Is  there  anything  that 
I  can  ask  for  you  ?  ' 

*  No,  thank  you,'  she  answered  di'ily.  And  as  he  still 
persisted  in  his  offers,  she  grew  a  little  vexed,  and  accused 
him  of  reproaching  herself  and  her  husband  with  the  few 
services  he  had  already  rendered  them.  They  would  not 
trouble  him  in  future,  said  she.  '  I  manage  my  affairs  myself 
now,'  she  added.  '  I'm  big  enough  to  get  on  by  myself,  am 
I  not  ? ' 

Meantime  the  carriage  had  emerged  from  the  Bois.  It 
was  now  passing  through  Boulogne  amid  the  clatter  of  several 
heavy  carts,  which  were  jolting  along  the  high  street. 
Delestang  had  been  silent  ever  since  the  start,  keeping  his 
hands  upon  his  morocco  portfolio,  and  apparently  absorbed  in 
momentous  thoughts.  However,  he  now  bent  forward  and 
called  to  Eougon  amidst  the  uproar  :  '  Do  you  think  that  his 
Majesty  will  keep  us  to  dejeuner?  ' 

Rougon  made  a  gesture  expressive  of  doubt.  Then  he 
exclaimed  :  '  We  do  generally  have  dejeuner  at  the  palace 
when  the  council  is  a  long  one.' 

Delestang  fell  back  into  his  corner,  and  once  more  appeared 
to  be  absorbed  in  a  very  serious  reverie.     Presently  he  bent 


266  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

forward  again,  to  ask  :  '  Will  there  be  much  business  before 
the  council  this  morning  ?  ' 

'  Perhaps  so,'  answered  Rougon.  '  But  one  can  never 
tell  beforehand.  Several  of  our  colleagues,  I  fancy,  are  going 
to  report  on  certain  important  matters.  For  my  own  part, 
at  any  rate,  I  intend  to  raise  the  question  of  that  book  about 
which  I  am  in  dispute  with  the  Licensing  Committee.'  ^ 

'  What  book  is  that  ?  '  asked  Clorinde  eagerly. 

'  Oh  !  an  idiotic  publication  ;  one  of  those  volumes  which 
are  got  up  for  circulation  amongst  the  peasantry.  It  is 
called  "  Friend  Jacques's  Evening  Chats."  It  is  a  mixture  of 
socialism,  witchcraft,  and  agriculture  ;  and  there's  even  a 
chapter  on  the  advantages  of  trades'  unions.  Briefly,  it  is  a 
very  dangerous  book  !  ' 

The  young  woman,  whose  curiosity  did  not  seem  quite 
satisfied,  turned  to  her  husband  as  if  to  question  him. 

'  You  are  over  severe,  Rougon,'  said  Delestang.  '  I  have 
looked  at  the  book,  and  have  found  some  good  matter  in  it. 
The  chapter  on  the  advantages  accruing  from  the  association 
of  labour  is  very  good,  I  think.  I  shall  be  surprised  if  the 
Emperor  condemns  the  ideas  contained  in  it.' 

Rougon  was  about  to  reply  hotly,  and  opened  his  arms 
with  a  gesture  of  protest.  But  he  suddenly  restrained  him- 
self, as  though  he  did  not  want  to  discuss  the  matter  further. 
And  instead  of  speaking,  he  glanced  at  the  country  through 
which  tbey  were  passing.  The  landau  was  now  half-way 
across  the  bridge  of  Saint  Cloud.  Down  below,  the  pale  blue 
river  was  flowing  sleepily,  shimmering  in  the  sunshine  ;  the 
rows  of  trees  along  the  banks  being  vigorously  reflected  in  the 
water.  Above  and  below  steam  climbed  the  sky,  so  whitened 
by  the  limpidity  of  springtide  that  scarcely  a  touch  of  blue 
could  be  seen. 

When  the  carriage  stopped  in  the  courtyard  of  the  chateau 
Rougon  alighted  first  and  offered  his  hand  to  Clorinde.  But 
the  young  woman  would  not  avail  herself  of  his  proffered 
support ;  she  sprang  lightly  to  the  ground,  and  as  he  re- 
mained there  still  holding  out  his  arm  for  her  acceptance,  she 


'  The  '  Commission  de  Colportage,'  by  which  at  that  period  all  books 
dealing  with  politics  or  social  economy  had  to  be  licensed  before  being 
hawked  about.  The  object  of  this  regulation  was  to  prevent  the  circula- 
tion of  all  literature  in  any  way  hostile  to  the  Imperial  policy  or  the 
organisation  of  the  Empire. — Ed. 


IN  COUNCIL  AT  ST.    CLOUD  267 

gently  tapped  his  fingers  Avith  hei*  parasol,  sa}ing:  'Didn't 
I  tell  you  that  I  was  big  enough  to  manage  by  myself, 
now?' 

She  seemed  to  have  lost  all  her  old  respect  for  her  master's 
huge  hands  which  she  had  so  often  held  with  disciple-like 
submission  so  as  to  drain  away  a  little  of  their  strength. 
Doubtless  she  now  fancied  that  she  had  weakened  him  suffi- 
ciently, for  she  no  longer  displayed  as  of  yore  any  adorable 
cajolery.  She,  in  her  turn,  had  acquired  influence,  and  was 
becoming  a  power.  When  Delestang  bad  got  out  of  the 
carriage,  she  allowed  Rougon  to  go  on  before  them,  and  whis- 
pered in  her  husband's  ear  :  *  I  hope  you  won't  try  to  prevent 
him  from  getting  into  a  tangle  with  his  "  Friend  Jacques."  It 
will  give  you  a  good  opportunity  of  not  always  appearing  to 
say  the  very  same  as  he  does.' 

In  the  entrance-hall,  before  leaving  Delestang,  Clorinde 
gave  him  a  careful  glance,  and  was  worried  to  see  one  of  the 
buttons  of  his  coat  hanging  a  little  loosely.  Then,  while  an 
usher  went  to  inform  the  Empress  of  her  arrival,  she  smilingly 
watched  Rougon  and  her  husband  take  themselves  off. 

The  ministerial  council  was  held  m  a  room  near  the 
Emperor's  private  study.  In  the  centre  stood  a  large  cloth- 
covered  table  surrounded  by  a  dozen  arm-chairs.  The  high 
windows  admitted  a  bright  light  from  the  terrace  of  the 
chateau.  When  Rougon  and  Delestang  entered  the  room, 
they  found  all  their  colleagues  already  assembled  there,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Minister  for  Public  Works  and  the  Naval 
and  Colonial  Minister,  who  were  on  leave  of  absence.  The 
Emperor  had  not  yet  made  his  appearance,  and  for  ten 
minutes  or  so  the  ministers  chatted  together,  standing  by  the 
windows  and  about  the  table.  Two  of  them  had  scowling 
faces,  and  so  cordially  detested  each  other  that  they  never 
exchanged  a  word,  but  all  the  rest  were  talking  amicably 
and  easily,  till  serious  matters  should  demand  their  atten- 
tion. Paris  was  just  then  much  interested  in  an  embassy 
from  the  extreme  east,  the  members  of  which  wore  fantastic 
costumes,  and  indulged  in  the  most  extraordinary  modes  of 
salutation.  The  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs  related  a  visit 
which  he  had  paid  to  the  chief  of  this  embassy  on  the  pre- 
vious evening  ;  and  while  speaking  with  due  regard  for  his 
position  as  head  of  the  diplomatic  service,  he  contrived  to 
indulge  in  some  light  sarcasm  at  the  envoy's  expense.  Then 
the  conversation  turned  upon  more  frivolous  matters,  and  the 


26S  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

Minister  of  State  '  furnishod  some  particulars  respecting  the 
condition  of  a  ballet  girl  of  the  opera-house  who  had  narrowly 
escaped  breaking  her  leg.  However,  amidst  all  this  apparent 
unrestraint  the  ministers  remained  alert  and  distrustful  of  one 
another,  wording  certain  of  their  sentences  with  extreme 
care,  recalHng  at  times  half-uttered  words,  keeping  a  watchful 
look-out  even  as  they  smiled,  and  sudd  'uly  becoming  serious 
as  soon  as  they  noticed  that  they  were  being  observed. 

'  Then  it  was  a  mere  sprain  ? '  said  Delestang,  who  took  a 
great  interest  in  the  ladies  of  the  ballet. 

'  Yes,  a  sprain,'  replied  the  Minister  of  State.  '  The 
poor  girl  will  simply  have  to  keep  her  room  for  a  fortnight. 
However,  she  feels  very  much  ashamed  of  herself  for  having 
fallen.' 

A  slight  stir  now  caused  the  ministers  to  turn,  and  they  all 
bowed.  The  Emperor  had  just  entered  the  room.  He  stood 
for  a  moment  leaning  upon  the  back  of  his  arm-chair.  Then, 
in  his  low  deliberate  voice,  he  asked  :  '  Is  she  better  ?  ' 

'  Much  better,  sire,'  replied  the  minister,  bowing  again. 
'  I  heard  about  her  this  morning.' 

At  a  sign  from  the  Emperor,  the  members  of  the  council 
took  their  seats  round  the  table.  There  were  nine  of  them. 
Some  of  them  spread  out  papers,  while  the  others  sat  back  in 
their  chairs  and  began  to  examine  their  nails.  There  was 
silence  for  a  while.  The  Emperor  seemed  unwell ;  and  with 
lifeless  face  he  slowly  twisted  the  waxed  ends  of  his  long 
moustache.  Then,  as  no  one  spoke,  he  appeared  to  recollect 
something  and  remarked :  '  Gentlemen,  the  session  of  the 
Corps  Legislatif  is  about  to  end — — ' 

The  budget,  which  the  Chamber  had  just  voted  in  five 
days,  was  the  first  subject  which  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
council.  The  Minister  of  Finance  mentioned  the  desires 
which  the  reporter  of  the  Chamber  had  expressed.     For  the 

'  The  functions  of  the  Minister  of  State — an  office  which  no  longer 
exists,  and  which  might  therefore  puzzle  even  the  reader  acquainted 
with  French  affairs — comprised  the  following  matters  : — The  intercourse 
of  the  Crown  with  the  Senate,  the  Corps  Legislatif,  and  the  Council  of 
State ;  the  Sovereign's  official  correspondence  with  the  various  minis- 
tries ;  the  duty  of  countersigning  all  decrees,  appointing  ministers, 
senators,  and  state  councillors.  The  supervision  of  the  Imperial  opera- 
house,  the  Theatre  Franvais,  the  Od6on  theatre,  the  Institute,  the  Salon, 
the  public  libraries,  &c.,  was  also  within  the  attributions  of  the  Ministry 
of  State  until  June,  1863,  when  a  decree  instituted  the  Ministry  of  Fine 
Arts  as  an  adjunct  to  that  of  the  Imperial  Household. —£cZ. 


IN  COUNCIL  AT  ST.    CLOUD  269 

first  time,  indeed,  the  Chamber  had  indulged  in  criticism,  andits 
reporter  had  asked  that  the  sinking  fund  regulations  might 
be  properly  carried  out,  and  that  the  government  would  in 
future  content  itself  with  the  supplies  as  voted,  without  con- 
stantly applying  for  supplementary  credits.  Moreover,  some 
members  of  the  Chamber  had  complained  of  the  little  weight 
which  was  attached  to  their  observations  by  the  Council  of 
State,  and  one  of  them  had  even  gone  so  far  as  to  claim  for 
the  Corps  Legislatif  the  right  to  prepare  the  budget. 

'  In  my  opinion,'  said  the  Finance  Minister,  concluding 
his  remarks,  '  there  is  no  ground  whatever  for  such  claims. 
The  government  always  observes  the  greatest  desire  for 
economy  in  preparing  its  budgets,  and  so  true  is  this  that 
the  Committee  of  the  Chamber  had  no  end  of  trouble  to  effect 
a  paltry  saving  of  a  couple  of  millions  of  francs.  Still,  I 
think  it  would  perhaps  be  advisable  to  postpone  the  applica- 
tion for  three  supplementary  votes  of  credit  which  we  con- 
templated making.  A  transfer  of  funds  will  provide  us  with 
the  necessary  money  for  the  time  being,  and  matters  can  be 
put  straight  later  on.'' 

The  Emperor  nodded  assent.  However,  he  hardly  seemed 
to  be  listening  to  what  was  said.  There  was  a  blank,  listless 
look  about  his  eyes,  as  he  sat  gazing  at  the  bright  light  which 
was  streaming  through  the  middle  window  in  front  of  him. 
There  came  another  interval  of  silence.  All  the  ministers 
followed  the  Emperor  in  nodding  their  approval,  and  for  a 
moment  or  two  only  a  slight  rustling  could  be  heard.  The 
Minister  of  Justice  and  Keeper  of  the  Seals  was  turning  over 
some  leaves  of  manuscript.  At  last  when  he  had  consulted 
his  colleagues  with  a  glance,  he  began  :  '  Sire,  I  have  brought 
with  me  a  memorandum  relating  to  the  creation  of  a  new 
nobility.  As  yet  it  consists  merely  of  some  rough  notes, 
which  I  thought  it  would  be  advisable  to  put  before  the 
council  before  proceeding  any  further  in  the  matter,  in  order 
Ihat  I  may  profit  by  any  hint ' 

'Yes,  yes;  read  it,'  interrupted  the  Emperor.  'You  are 
quite  right.' 

Then  he  turned  so  as  to  look  at  the  minister  while  the 
latter  read  the  memorandum.  He  seemed  more  animated 
now  ;  a  yellow  light  had  come  into  his  grey  eyes. 

'  This  was  the  favourite  device  of  the  Imperial  Government.  Even 
money  voted  for  the  army  was  diverted  to  other  purposes,  and  France 
paid  the  penalty  in  1870. — Ed. 


2  70  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

The  Court  was  at  that  time  extremely  interested  in  this 
scheme  for  a  new  nobiUty.  The  government  had  begun  by 
submitting  to  the  Corps  Lcgislatif  a  bill  which  punished  with 
fine  and  imprisonment  anyone  w^ho  might  assume  any  title  of 
nobility  without  being  entitled  to  do  so.  It  was  a  question  of 
giving  official  sanction  to  the  old  titles,  and  of  thus  preparing 
the  way  for  new  ones.  However,  this  bill  had  given  rise  to  a 
heated  discussion  in  the  Chamber.  Some  deputies,  though 
enthusiastically  devoted  to  the  empire,  had  protested  that  a 
nobility  could  not  exist  in  a  democratic  state ;  and,  when  a 
division  was  taken,  twenty-three  votes  had  been  given  against 
the  bill.  The  Emperor,  however,  still  clung  to  his  dream ; 
and  he  himself  had  suggested  some  very  comprehensive  ideas 
to  the  Minister  of  Justice. 

The  memorandum  commenced  by  some  historical  refer- 
ences. Then  the  projected  scheme  was  detailed  at  length. 
Titles  were  to  be  conferred  for  different  kinds  of  public  ser- 
vice, so  as  to  make  the  new  honours  accessible  to  all  deserving 
citizens,  a  democratic  arrangement  which  seemed  to  fill  the 
minister  with  great  enthusiasm.  Then  a  draft  of  the  pro- 
posed decree  was  set  out,  and  when  the  minister  came  to  the 
second  clause  of  it  lie  raised  his  voice  and  read  on  very 
sloAvly :  '  The  title  of  Count  shall  be  conferred  upon  the  fol- 
lowing persons  after  five  years'  service  in  their  respective 
functions  or  dignities,  or  after  we  may  have  bestowed  upon 
them  the  grand  cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honour  :  namely,  our 
ministers  and  the  members  of  our  Privy  Council,  the  cardi- 
nals, marvshals,  admirals,  senators,  and  ambassadors,  and  such 
of  the  generals  of  division  as  shall  have  held  a  chief  command 
in  the  field.' 

The  minister  paused  for  a  moment,  and  cast  a  questioning 
glance  at  the  Emperor  as  if  to  ask  whether  he  had  omitted 
anyone.  His  Majesty  reflected,  with  his  head  slightly  inclined 
towards  his  left  shoulder. 

'  I  think  w^e  must  include  the  Presidents  of  the  Corps 
Legislatif  and  the  Council  of  State,'  he  said,  after  a  pause. 

The  Minister  of  Justice  nodded  approbation,  and  hastily 
made  a  note  on  the  margin  of  his  manuscript.  Just  as  he 
was  about  to  resume  his  reading,  he  was  interrupted  by  the 
Minister  for  Public  Education  and  Worship,  who  wanted  to 
call  attention  to  an  omission, 

*  The  archbishops '  he  began. 

'  Excuse   me,'  interrupted  the  Minister  of  Justice  drily. 


IN  COUNCIL  AT  ST.    CLOUD  271 

*  the  archbishops  are  to  be  merely  barons.  Let  me  read  the 
whole  of  the  decree.' 

However,  his  papers  had  got  mixed,  and  he  spent  some 
time  in  looking  for  the  next  leaf.  Kongon,  who  sat  therewith 
his  elbows  spread  out  and  his  thick  neck  sinking  between  his 
broad  peasant  shoulders,  was  faintly  smiling  ;  and,  as  he 
turned  round,  he  caught  sight  of  his  neighbour,  the  Minister 
of  State,  the  last  scion  of  an  old  Norman  family,  likewise 
indulging  in  a  quiet  smile  of  contempt.  A  significant  glance 
passed  between  them.  The  parvenu  and  the  nobleman  were 
evidently  of  the  same  way  of  thinking. 

'  Ah,  here  it  is  ! '  exclaimed  the  Mniister  of  Justice  at  last. 
'Clause  III.  The  title  of  baron  shall  be  conferred,  firstly, 
upon  such  members  of  the  Corps  Legislatif  as  shall  have  been 
honoured  three  times  with  the  confidence  of  their  fellow- 
citizens  ;  secondly,  upon  members  of  the  Council  of  State  of 
eight  years'  standing;  thirdly,  upon  the  first  president  and 
the  public  prosecutor  of  the  Supreme  Court,  upon  the  first 
president  and  public  prosecutor  of  the  Exchequer  Court,  upon 
the  generals  of  division  and  vice  admirals,  upon  the  arch- 
bishops and  ministers-plenipotentiary,  after  five  years'  service 
in  their  respective  ofBces,  or  if  they  have  attained  the  rank  of 
commander  in  the  Legion  of  Honour ' 

And  so  the  minister  read  on.  The  first  presidents  and 
public  prosecutors  of  the  appeal  courts,  the  generals  of 
brigade  and  rear-admirals,  the  bishops,  and  i  ven  the  mayors 
of  the  chief  cities  of  first-class  prefectures,  were  in  their  turn 
all  to  be  made  barons,  but  on  condition  that  they  had  served 
in  their  respective  offices  for  ten  years. 

'  Then  everybody  will  be  a  baron,'  murmured  Rougon. 

At  this  some  of  his  colleagues,  who  aifected  to  consider 
him  a  very  ill-bred  man,  assumed  grave  expressions,  so  as  to 
make  him  understand  that  they  thought  his  remark  in  very 
bad  taste.  The  Emperor,  however,  did  not  seem  to  have 
heard. 

'  Well,  gentlemen,  what  do  you  think  of  the  scheme  ?  '  his 
Majesty  asked,  when  the  keeper  of  the  seals  had  finished  his 
perusal. 

They  all  hesitated,  waiting  as  it  were  for  a  more  direct 
question. 

'  Monsieur  Rougon,'  resumed  the  Emperor,  *  what  is  your 
opinion  ?  ' 

'  Well,  sire,'  replied  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  with  his 


2  72  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

quiet  smile,  '  I  cannot  say  that  I  think  very  favourably  of  it. 
It  is  exposed  to  the  greatest  of  all  dangers,  that  is  to  say,  to 
ridicule.  I  am  afraid  that  all  those  barons  will  merely  raise 
a  laugh.  I  say  nothing  about  more  serious  matters,  such  as 
the  sentiment  of  equality  which  is  so  much  in  the  ascendant 
at  the  present  time,  or  the  vanity  which  such  a  system  would 
tend  to  develop ' 

But  when  he  had  got  thus  far  he  was  interrupted  by  the 
Minister  of  Justice,  who  seemed  greatly  put  out,  and  began  to 
defend  himself  as  though  a  personal  attack  had  been  made 
upon  him.  He  said  that  he  was  a  middle-class  man  himself, 
and  the  son  of  a  middle-class  father,  and  was  quite  incapable  of 
attempting  anything  to  impair  the  principles  of  equality  held 
by  modern  society.  The  new  nobility  was  going  to  be  a 
'  democratic  nobility,'  and  this  expression  '  democratic  nobi- 
lity '  seemed  to  convey  his  idea  so  perfectly  that  he  repeated 
it  several  times  over.  Then  Rougon  briefly  replied,  still 
smiling  and  unruffled.  But  the  Minister  of  Justice,  a  little 
lean,  dark  man,  at  last  began  to  indulge  in  somewhat  offen- 
sive personalities.  The  Emperor  meantime  held  himself  aloof 
from  the  dispute,  and  with  a  slight  swaying  of  the  shoulders, 
again  gazed  at  the  sunlight  streaming  through  the  window  in 
front  of  him.  However,  when  the  voices  of  the  others  finally 
grew  so  loud  as  to  interfere  with  his  sense  of  dignity,  he  mur- 
mured :  '  Gentlemen,  gentlemen.'  And  after  a  pause,  he 
added  :  '  Monsieur  Rougon  is  perhaps  right.  The  scheme  is 
not  quite  ripe  yet.  We  shall  have  to  consider  if  it  cannot 
be  put  upon  another  basis.     We  can  see  to  that  later  on.' 

Then  the  council  took  some  minor  matters  in  hand.  The 
newspaper  Le  Siecle  became  the  subject  of  a  deal  of  talk,  for 
it  had  just  published  an  article  which  had  given  great  offence 
at  Court.  A  week  n.ever  passed  without  those  about  the 
Emperor  entreating  him  to  suppress  this  journal,  which  was 
the  only  Republican  organ  still  in  existence.  His  Majesty, 
however,  was  personally  inclined  to  be  indulgent  towards  the 
press,  and  often  amused  himself,  in  the  secrecy  of  his  study, 
by  writing  long  articles  in  reply  to  the  attacks  which  were 
made  upon  his  government.  An  unacknowledged  dream  of 
his  was  to  have  anewspaper  of  hisown,in  which  he  might  pub- 
lish manifestoes  and  engage  in  polemical  discussions.  How- 
ever, he  that  day  decided  that  a  warning  should  be  addressed 
to  the  Sidcle. 

Their  excellencies  now  thought  that  the  council  was  over, 


IN  COUNCIL  AT  ST.    CLOUD  273 

as  was  evident  from  the  manner  in  which  they  sat  on  the  very 
edges  of  their  chairs.  Indeed,  the  Minister  for  War,  a  general 
who  looked  very  much  bored,  and  who  had  not  spoken  a  word 
during  the  whole  sitting,  had  already  taken  his  gloves  from 
hid  pocket,  when  Rougon  leant  heavily  on  the  table. 

'  Sire,'  he  said,  'I desire  to  speak  to  the  council  of  a  con- 
flict which  has  arisen  between  the  licensing  committee  and 
myself  with  respect  to  a  book  which  has  been  presented  for 
authorisation.' 

The  other  ministers  thereupon  ensconced  themselves  in 
their  chairs  again.  The  Emperor  turned  towards  Eougon 
and  with  a  nod  authorised  him  to  continue. 

Eougon  then  entered  into  details.  He  no  longer  smiled, 
his  good-natured  expression  had  quite  vanished.  He  leant 
over  the  table,  and,  sweeping  the  cloth  as  it  were  with  a 
regular  mechanical  movement  of  his  right  hand,  he  stated 
that  he  had  determined  to  preside  at  one  of  the  recent  meet- 
ings of  the  committee  in  order  to  stimulate  the  zeal  of  its 
members.  '  I  pointed  out  to  them,'  said  he,  '  the  views  of  the 
government  as  to  the  improvements  it  was  desirable  for  them 
to  effect  in  the  important  branch  of  the  public  service  with 
which  they  are  entrusted.  The  colportagc  system,^  I  told  them, 
would  be  a  source  of  grave  danger  if  it  were  allowed  to  become 
a  weapon  in  the  hands  of  the  revolutionists,  and  sht-uld  prove 
a  means  of  reviving  political  discussions  and  ill-will.  So 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  committee,  I  said,  to  reject  all  publica- 
tions which  might  foment  afresh  such  passions  as  are  unsuited 
to  the  present  time.  It  ought,  on  the  other  hand,  to  en- 
courage those  healthy  works  which  teach  the  worship  of  God, 
the  love  of  one's  country,  and  gratitude  to  one's  Sovereign.' 

The  other  ministers,  although  very  cross  at  being  thus 
detained  in  council,  felt  constrained  to  bow  approvingly  on 
hearing  these  last  words. 

'  The  number  of  pernicious  books  increases  every  day,' 
continued  Rougon.  '  They  form  a  rising  flood  against  which 
we  cannot  take  sufficiently  energetic  steps  for  protecting  our 
country.  Out  of  every  dozen  books  that  are  published,  eleven 
and  a  half  are  only  fit  to  be  thrown  into  the  fire.  That  is  the 
average.  Never  before  have  wicked  sentiments,  subversive 
theories,  and  anti-social  monstrosities  of  all  kinds,  found  so 

"  That  of  retailing  books  and  pamphlets  by  peddlers. 

T 


2  74  ^^^S  EXCELLENCY 

many  exponents.     I  am  occasionally  compelled    to   read  cer- 
tain publications  ;  well,  I  tell  you ' 

At  this  moment  the  Minister  for  Public  Education  ventured 
on  an  interruption.     '  Novels,'  he  began. 

'  I  never  read  novels,'  retorted  Rougon  drily. 

His  colleague  made  a  gesture  of  virtuous  protest,  and 
rolled  his  eyes  in  a  shocked  sort  of  way,  as  though  he  also 
repudiated  all  reading  of  novels.  Then  he  explained  himself, 
saying :  '  I  merely  wanted  to  remark  that  novels  are  an 
especially  poisonous  food  offered  to  the  unhealthy  curiosity  of 
the  people.' 

'  Doubtless,'  replied  the  Minister  of  the  Interior ;  '  but 
there  are  other  works  quite  as  dangerous.  I  am  speaking  of 
those  cheap  treatises  which  disseminate  among  the  peasantry 
and  the  working- classes  a  heap  of  false  social  and  economic 
science,  the  most  evident  effect  of  which  is  to  seriously  dis- 
turb weak  brains.  A  work  of  the  kind  to  which  I  am  alluding, 
"  Friend  -Jacques's  Evening  Chats,"  has  just  been  submitted 
to  the  committee  for  consideration.  It  is  the  story  of  a 
sergeant  who  comes  back  to  his  native  village  and  holds  dis- 
cussions with  the  school-master  every  Sunday  evening  in  the 
presence  of  a  score  of  labourers.  Each  discussion  is  upon  a 
difierent  subject,  such  as  new  S} stems  of  cultivation,  trades 
unions,  and  the  great  part  which  the  producer  plays  in  society. 
I  have  read  this  book,  to  which  one  of  the  clerks  called  my 
attention,  and  it  seems  to  me  to  be  all  the  more  dangerous 
since  it  veils  its  baleful  theories  beneath  a  pretended  admira- 
tion for  the  imperial  institutions.  No  one  can  be  deceived  by 
it,  however  ;  it  is  clearly  the  production  of  a  demagogue.  And 
so  I  was  extremely  surprised  when  I  heard  some  members  of 
the  committee  speak  of  it  in  eulogistic  terms.  I  have  dis- 
cussed certain  passages  of  it  with  them,  but  apparently  with- 
out convincing  them.  The  author,  they  have  assured  me, 
has  even  offered  a  copy  of  the  book  for  your  Majesty's  accept- 
ance. On  that  account,  sire,  I  thought  it  right,  before  taking 
any  active  steps,  to  ask  for  your  opinion  and  that  of  the 
council.' 

So  saying  Rougon  fixed  his  glance  on  the  Emperor,  whose 
shifty  eyes  at  last  settled  on  a  paper-knife  which  was  lying  on 
the  table  in  front  of  him.  His  Majesty  took  up  the  knife  and 
began  to  turn  and  twist  it  while  murmuring :  *  Yes,  yes, 
"Friend  Jacques's  Evening  Chats "  ' 

Then,  without  committing  himself  any  further,  he  glanced 


IjV  council  at  ST.    cloud  275 

to  the  riglit  and  left  of  the  table.     '  You  have  perhaps  seen 
the  book,  gentlemen.     I  should  be  very  glad  to  know ' 

Then  he  stopped  again.  The  ministers  glanced  furtively 
at  one  another,  each  hoping  that  his  neighbour  would  speak 
and  express  an  opinion.  The  silence,  however,  continued  un- 
broken, and  the  feeling  of  constraint  increased.  It  seemed 
clear  that  none  of  them  had  even  known  of  the  existence  of 
the  book.  At  last  the  Minister  for  War  took  it  upon  himself 
to  express  by  a  gesture  the  general  ignorance  which  prevailed 
of  the  publication  in  question. 

The  Emperor  twisted  his  moustaches,  showing  no  sign  of 
haste.  *  Well,  Monsieur  Delestang,  have  you  anything  to 
say  ?  '  he  eventually  inquired. 

Delestang  was  restlessly  moving  on  his  chair,  as  though  a 
prey  to  some  inward  struggle.  This  direct  question  seemed 
to  decide  him  ;  however,  before  speaking,  he  glanced  involun- 
tarily towards  Eougon.  *  I  have  had  the  book  in  my  hands, 
sire,'  he  said. 

He  checked  himself,  feeling  that  Eougon's  big  grey  eyes 
were  fixed  upon  him ;  but  then,  observing  the  Emperor's 
satisfaction,  he  began  to  speak  again,  though  his  lips  could  be 
seen  quivering  slightly.  '  I  regret  that  I  find  myself  in  dis- 
agreement with  my  friend  and  colleague  the  Minister  of  the 
Interior.  Certainly  the  publication  in  question  might  be  less 
sweeping  in  some  parts  and  insist  more  than  it  does  upon 
that  prudent  deliberation  with  which  all  really  useful  progress 
must  be  accomplished.  Still,  "  Friend  Jacques's  Evening 
Chats  "  seems  to  me  to  have  been  conceived  with  most  excel- 
lent intentions.  The  hopes  which  are  expressed  in  it  for  the 
future  evince  no  hostility  to  imperial  institutions.  On  the 
contrary,  indeed,  they  are  v/hat  the  legitimate  expansion  of 
our  institutions  may  lead  us  to  expect.' 

He  paused  again  Notwithstanding  the  care  which  he  had 
taken  to  turn  tuwards  the  Emperor,  he  could  not  shake  off 
the  consciousness  that  Eougon  was  sitting  on  the  other  side 
of  the  table,  leaning  on  his  elbows  and  looking  at  him,  pale 
with  surprise.  Generally  speaking,  Delestang's  views  were 
identical  with  those  of  the  great  man.  And  so  the  latter  had  a 
momentary  hope  that  a  word  from  him  might  bring  back  his 
erring  disciple. 

'  Well,  now,'  he  exclaimed  with  a  frown,  *  I'll  just  give  you 
an  example.  I'm  sorry  I  haven't  brought  the  book  with  me, 
but  I  can  give  you  the  substance  of  a  chapter  which  1  remember 

X  '3 


2  76  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

very  well.  Jacques  is  speaking  of  two  beggars  who  go  through 
the  village  soliciting  alms  from  door  to  door,  and,  in  reply  to 
a  question  from  the  school-master,  he  asserts  that  he  will 
show  the  peasants  a  way  by  which  they  will  never  have  a 
single  poor  person  among  them.  Then  follows  a  very  elabo- 
rate system  for  the  extinction  of  pauperism.  It  contains  the 
whole  communistic  theory.  Surely  the  Minister  for  Agricul- 
ture and  Commerce  cannot  approve  of  that  chapter.' 

Delestang  summoned  up  all  his  courage  and  looked  Eougon 
boldly  in  the  face.  '  You  are  going  too  far  in  saying  the 
whole  communistic  theory,'  he  repUed.  '  It  merely  struck  me 
as  being  an  ingenious  exposition  of  the  principles  of  combina- 
tion.' He  had  been  searching  in  his  portfolio  as  he  spoke. 
'I  have  got  the  book  here,'  he  added. 

Then  he  began  to  read  the  chapter  under  discussion.  He 
read  it  in  a  low  monotonous  voice,  and  his  wise-looking  face 
assumed  an  expression  of  extraordinary  gravity  at  certain 
passages.  The  Emperor  listened  with  an  air  of  deep  atten- 
tion. He  seemed  to  particularly  appreciate  the  more  touch- 
ing portions,  in  which  the  author  made  his  peasants  speak  in 
a  strain  of  childish  stupidity.  Meanwhile  the  ministers  were 
quite  delighted.  What  an  amusing  affair !  There  now  was 
Eougon  abandoned  by  Delestang,  Avhom  he  had  brought  into 
the  ministry  solely  that  he  might  have  some  one  to  rely  upon 
amidst  the  unexpressed  hostility  of  his  other  colleagues.  The 
latter  were  often  indignant  with  him  for  his  constant  arroga- 
tion  of  power,  that  craving  for  authority  which  impelled  him 
to  treat  them  as  though  they  were  mere  clerks,  while  he  him- 
self assumed  the  position  of  his  IMajesty's  private  adviser  and 
right-hand  man.  And  now  he  was  on  the  point  of  finding 
himself  completely  isolated  !  This  fellow,  Delestang,  thought 
the  others,  was  a  man  to  be  well  received. 

'  There  are  perhaps  one  or  two  words '  muttered  the 

Emperor,  when  Delestang  had  finished  his  perusal ;  '  but, 
really,  taking  it  altogether,  I  don't  see  anything — eh,  gentle- 
men ? ' 

'  It  is  quite  innocent,'  chorused  the  ministers. 

Eougon  made  no  reply  to  his  Majesty,  but  seemed  to  bend 
his  shoulders.  When  he  returned  to  the  charge,  he  singled 
out  Delestang  for  his  attack.  For  several  minutes  a  contest 
went  on  between  them  in  short  sentences.  Handsome  Dele- 
stang grew  warlike,  and  indulged  in  cutting  remarks,  while 
Bougon's  anger  also  gradually  rose.    He  for  the  first  time  felt 


/A^  COUNCIL   AT  ST.    CLOUD  277 

his  authority  giving  way  beneath  him.  And  springing  all  at 
once  to  his  feet,  he  addressed  himself  to  the  Emperor  with 
vehement  gestm-es. 

'  Sire,'  he  said,  '  it  is  a  petty  matter,  and  the  book  will  be 
authorised,  since  your  Majesty  in  your  wisdom  declares  there 
is  no  danger  in  it.  But  I  must  warn  you,  sire,  that  it  would 
be  perilous  to  confer  on  France  one  half  of  the  liberties  wliich 
are  claimed  by  this  "Friend  Jacques"  You  summoned  me 
to  power  under  terrible  circumstances.  You  told  me  that  I 
was  not  to  attempt,  by  any  untimely  moderation,  to  reassure 
those  who  were  quaking  with  alarm.  In  accordance  with  your 
commands,  sire,  1  have  made  myself  feared.  I  believe  that  I 
have  obeyed  your  slightest  instructions  and  have  rendered  you 
the  services  you  expected  of  me.  If  any  one  should  accuse 
me  of  excessive  severity  or  of  abusing  the  power  with  which 
your  Majesty  has  entrusted  me,  such  an  accusation  could  only 
come  from  an  adversary  of  your  Majesty's  policy.  Believe 
me  when  I  tell  you  that  society  is  as  deeply  disturbed  as  ever 
it  was.  In  the  few  weeks  that  I  have  been  in  office,  it  has 
unfortunately  been  impossible  for  me  to  heal  the  diseases 
which  are  preying  upon  it.  Anarchical  passions  are  still 
fermenting  among  the  lower  strata  of  the  people. 

'  I  do  not  wish  to  lay  this  festering  wound  bare  to  you,  or 
to  exaggerate  its  horror,  but  it  is  my  duty  to  remind  you  of  its 
existence,  so  that  I  may  put  your  Majesty  on  your  guard 
against  the  generous  impulses  of  your  own  heart.  For  a  moment 
it  was  possible  to  hope  that  the  energy  of  the  sovereign  and 
the  solemnly  expressed  will  of  the  nation  had  sv/ept  all 
abominable  periods  of  public  baseness  away  without  possibility 
of  revival.  Events,  however,  have  shown  what  a  mournful 
error  this  was.  In  the  name  of  the  country,  sire,  I  beseech 
you  not  to  draw  back  your  powerful  hand.  The  danger  does  not 
lie  in  the  possession  of  excessive  authority,  but  in  the  absence 
of  repressive  laws.  If  you  should  draw  back  your  hand,  sire, 
you  would  see  the  scum  of  the  people  bubbling  up,  you  would 
at  once  find  yourself  overwhelmed  by  revolutionary  demands, 
and  your  most  energetic  servants  would  soon  be  at  a  loss  how 
to  defend  you.  I  venture  to  press  this  upon  you  strongly,  for 
the  dangers  of  the  morrow  would  be  terrible. 

*  Liberty  without  restraint  is  impossible  in  a  country  where 
there  exists  a  faction  which  is  obstinately  bent  upon  denying 
the  fundamental  basis  of  the  goveriunent.  Many  long  years 
must  elapse  before  your  Majesty's  absolute  power  is  accepted 


2  78  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

by  all,  before  it  effaces  from  men's  memories  tbe  recollection 
of  old  struggles,  and  passes  so  far  beyond  the  pale  of  discussion 
that  it  may  be  discussed  without  danger.  And  outside  the 
principle  of  despotic  power,  vigorously  exercised,  there  is  no 
safety  for  France.  On  the  day  when  your  Majesty  may  con- 
sider it  your  duty  to  restore  to  the  nation  the  most  harmless 
of  its  liberties,  on  that  day  your  Majesty  will  be  committed  to 
everything.  One  liberty  cannot  be  granted  without  a  second  ; 
and  then  comes  a  third  one,  and  everything  is  swept  away, 
both  institutions  and  dynasties!  It  is  hke  an  implacable, 
devouring  piece  of  machinery.  First,  the  tip  of  the  linger  is 
caught,  then  the  hand  is  drawn  in,  then  the  arm,  and  finally 
the  whole  body  is  ground  to  pieces. 

'  And,  sire,  since  1  have  ventured  to  express  myself  so 
freely  on  this  matter,  I  will  male  this  further  remark.  ParHa- 
mentary  rule  once  destroyed  a  French  monarchy  ;  do  not  let 
us  allow  it  to  destroy  an  empire.  The  Corps  Legislatif  ven 
tures  to  interfere  too  much  as  it  is.  Do  not  allow  it  any  share 
in  directing  the  sovereign's  policy.  To  do  so  would  only  give 
rise  to  the  most  vehement  and  deplorable  discussions.  The 
last  general  elections  have  once  again  testified  to  the  country's 
gratitude,  but  none  the  less,  no  fewer  than  five  candidates 
were  elected  whose  disgraceful  success  ought  to  serve  as  a 
warning.  To-day  the  all-important  question  is  to  prevent  the 
formation  of  an  opposition  minority  ;  and,  what  is  still  more 
important,  is  to  take  care  not  to  provide  it— if  by  chance 
it  should  come  into  existence  with  weapons  which  might 
enable  it  to  contend  against  the  constituted  authority  with 
yet  greater  impudence  than  now.  A  parliament  which  holds 
its  tongue  is  a  parliament  which  does  some  work. 

'  As  for  the  press,  sire,  it  is  turning  liberty  into  license. 
Since  I  entered  the  ministry  I  have  read  the  reports  carefully, 
and  every  morning  I  am  filled  with  fresh  disgust.  The  press 
is  the  receptacle  of  nauseous  leaven  of  every  kind.  It  fornents 
revolutions,  it  is  an  ever-burning  fire  which  serves  to  kindle 
great  conflagrations.  It  will  only  become  useful  when  we 
have  brought  it  under  our  authority  and  can  use  its  influence 
as  an  instrument  of  government.  At  present  I  say  nothing  of 
other  forms  of  liberty,  such  as  the  liberty  of  combination,  of 
public  meeting,  or  of  doing  anything  a  man  likes.  These, 
however,  are  all  respectfully  asked  for  in  "  Friend  Jacques's 
Evening  Chats."  Later  on  they  will  be  demanded.  That  is 
what  I  am  afraid  of.    I  hope  that  your  Majesty  will  fully  under- 


IN  COUNCIL   AT  ST.    CLOUD  279 

stand  me.  It  is  necessary  that  France  should  for  a  long  time 
yet  feel  the  weight  of  a  hand  of  iron.' 

He  went  on  in  this  strain  for  a  long  time,  defending,  with 
increasing  energy,  the  way  in  which  he  had  used  his  authority, 
sheltering  himself  beneath  the  principle  of  plenary  power, 
wrapping  himself  round  with  it,  covering  himself  with  it,  as  it 
were,  like  a  man  who  would  avail  himself  of  his  armour  to  the 
fullest  extent  possible.  And  in  spite  of  his  apparent  excite- 
ment, he  retained  sufficient  coolness  to  keep  a  watch  on  his 
colleagues  and  to  note  the  effect  of  his  Avords  on  their  pale, 
fixed  faces.     Then  all  at  once  he  abruptly  ceased  speaking. 

There  was  a  rather  long  interval  of  silence.  The  Emperor 
had  again  begun  to  play  with  his  paper-knife. 

'  His  Excellency  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  takes  too 
black  a  view  of  the  situation,'  at  length  said  the  Minister  of 
State.  '  In  my  opinion  nothing  threatens  our  institutions. 
Order  is  perfectly  maintained.  We  can  trust  with  confidence 
to  his  Majesty's  great  wisdom.  Indeed,  it  is  a  lack  of  such 
confidence  to  show  fear ' 

'  Certainly,  certainly,'  murmured  several  voices. 

*I  will  add,'  said  tlie  Minister  for  Foreign  Aft'airs,  'that 
France  has  never  been  more  respected  by  Europe  than  sl:e  is 
now.  Everywhere  abroad  his  Majesty's  firm  and  dignified 
policy  is  regarded  with  admiration.  The  opinion  of  the  chan- 
celleries is  that  our  country  has  entered  for  good  upon  an  era 
of  peace  and  greatness.' 

However,  none  of  the  ministers  cared  to  attack  the  poli- 
tical programme  defended  by  Roiigon.  They  all  looked  at 
Delestang,  who  understood  what  was  expected  of  him.  He 
began  to  speak,  and  compared  the  empire  to  an  edifice. 

'  The  principle  of  authority  ought  certainly  not  to  be 
shaken,'  said  he,  '  but  there  is  no  necessity  for  systematically 
shutting  the  door  upon  every  public  liberty.  The  empire  is 
like  some  great  place  of  refuge,  some  vast  and  magnificent 
edifice  whose  indestructible  foundations  have  been  laid  by  his 
Majesty  with  his  own  hands.  He  is  still  engaged  in  raising 
its  walls  ;  but  the  day  will  come  when  his  task  will  be  finished, 
and  he  will  have  to  think  of  how  he  can  crown  his  edifice,  and 
it  is  then ' 

'  Never  1 '  interrupted  Eougon  violently.  '  The  whole  thing 
will  topple  down  ! ' 

The  Emperor  stretched  out  his  hand  to  stop  the  discus- 
sion.    He  was  smiling,  and  seemed  to  be   awaking  from  a 


28o  ins  EXCELLENCV 

reverie.  *  Well,  well,'  he  said  ;  '  we  are  getting  away  from 
current  affairs.  We  will  see  about  all  t^iis  later  on.'  Then, 
having  risen  from  his  seat,  he  added  :  '  It  is  late,  gentlemen  ; 
you  must  have  cUjcuncr  at  the  chateau.' 

The  council  was  now  at  an  end.  The  ministers  pushed 
back  their  chairs  and  stood  up  and  bowed  to  the  Emperor, 
who  was  slowly  retiring.  All  at  once,  however,  his  Majesty 
turned  and  muttered :  *  A  word  with  you.  Monsieur  Kougon, 
I  beg.' 

Tlien  as  the  Emperor  took  Rougon  into  the  embrasure  of 
one  of  the  windows,  the  other  ministers  thronged  round 
Delestang  a  the  farther  end  of  the  room.  They  congratulated 
him  in  subdued  tones,  with  nods  and  becks  and  wreathed 
smiles,  quite  a  buzzing  of  murmured  praise.  The  Minister 
of  State,  a  man  of  very  shrewd  mind  and  great  experience, 
was  particularly  flattering.  He  had  an  idea  that  it  was  lucky 
to  have  a  slmllow-pated  fellow  for  a  friend.  Meantime, 
Delestang  bowed  with  grave  modesty  to  all  the  compliments 
lavished  upon  him. 

'After  all,'  said  the  Emperor  to  Eougon,  'I  won't  speak 
to  you  here,  come  along  with  me,'  and  he  thereupon  took  him 
into  his  own  study,  a  rather  small  room,  where  the  furniture 
was  Httered  with  books  and  newspapers.  Then,  having  lighted 
a  cigarette,  he  showed  Rougon  a  small  model  of  a  new  cannon 
lately  invented  by  an  officer.  The  little  weapon  looked  like  a 
child's  toy.  His  ]\lajesty  affected  a  very  kindly  tone,  and  tried 
to  convince  the  minister  that  he  still  pos.-^essed  his  favour. 
Rougon,  however,  divined  that  an  explanation  of  some  sort 
was  coming,  and  he  wanted  to  have  the  first  word. 

'  Sire,'  he  began,  'I  am  well  aware  of  the  violence  with 
which  I  am  attacked  by  those  who  surround  your  Majesty.' 

The  Emperor  smiled  without  saying  anything.  It  was 
true,  however,  that  the  Court  had  again  put  itself  in  opposition 
to  Rougon.  He  was  now  accused  of  abusing  his  power,  and 
of  compromising  the  empire  by  his  harshness.  The  most 
extraordinary  tales  were  circulated  about  him,  and  the 
corridors  of  the  palace  were  full  of  complaints  and  stories, 
which  echoed  every  morning  in  the  Emperor's  study. 

'  Be  seated.  Monsieur  Rougon,  be  seated,'  his  Majesty  at 
last  said,  in  a  good-natured  way.  And  then,  taking  a  seat 
himself,  he  continued  :  '  People  are  always  dinning  things 
into  my  ears.  So  it  is,  perhaps,  best  that  I  should  quietly  talk 
them  over  with  you.     What  is  this  aflair  of  a  notary  at  Niort, 


m  COUNCIL  AT  ST.    CLOUD  281 

"W^lio  died  after  being  arrested  ?  A  Monsieur  Martineau,  I 
think  ?  ' 

Eougon  quietly  entered  into  particulars.  This  ^lartiueau, 
he  said,  was  a  man  ^Yho  had  very  gravely  compromised  him- 
self ;  a  Eepublican  whose  inlluence  in  the  department  might 
have  led  to  great  danger.  He  had  been  arrested,  and  he  had 
since  died. 

'  Yes,  that's  just  it,'  replied  the  Emperor  ;  '  that's  the 
tiresome  part  of  the  matter.  The  opposition  papers  have  got 
hold  of  the  story,  and  relate  it  in  a  very  mysterious  fashion, 
and  with  a  reticence  which  is  calculated  to  have  a  most 
deplorable  effect.  I  am  much  distressed  about  it,  Monsieur 
Eougon.' 

However,  he  said  no  more  on  that  subject,  but  sat  for  a 
few  moments  puffing  at  his  cigarette. 

'  You  have  been  down  to  Deux- Sevres  lately,  and  you  were 
present  at  some  ceremony  there,  were  you  not '? '  he  presently 
continued.  '  Are  you  quite  siireof  Monsieur  Kahn's  financial 
stability  ? ' 

'  Oh,  quite  so  ! '  exclaimed  Eougon.  And  he  launched  into 
a  series  of  explanatory  details.  M.  Kahn,  said  he,  was  sup- 
ported by  a  very  rich  English  company.  Tne  shares  of  the 
railway  from  Niort  to  Angers  were  at  a  premium  at  the 
Bourse.     The  undertaking  had  very  fine  prospects  before  it. 

The  Emperor,  however,  seemed  incredulous.  '  I  have 
heard  a  certain  amount  of  fear  expressed,'  he  said.  '  Y'^ou  can 
understand  that  it  would  be  vei'y  unfortunate  for  your  name  to 
be  mixed  up  with  a  catastrophe.     However,  since  you  tell  me 

that  there  is  no  reason  for  fear '    Then  he  again  broke  off 

and  passed  to  a  third  subject.  *  Now,  about  the  prefect  of 
Deux- Sevres.  He  is  very  unpopular,  people  tell  me.  He 
appears  to  have  thrown  everything  into  confusion  down  there. 
1  hear,  too,  that  he  is  the  son  of  a  retired  process-server,  whose 
strange  vagaries  are  the  talk  of  tbe  whole  department.  This 
Monsieur  du  Poizat  is  a  friend  of  yours,  I  believe  ?  ' 

'  One  of  my  best  friends,  sire.' 

As  the  Emperor  now  rose  from  his  seat,  Eougon  also  got 
up.  The  former  went  to  a  window,  and  then  came  back 
again,  puffing  out  a  little  cloudlet  of  smoke. 

'  You  have  a  good  many  friends,  Monsieur  Eougon,'  he 
said,  with  a  meaning  look. 

'  Y^es,  sire  ;  a  great  many,'  the  minister  ft'ankly  replied. 

Evidently    enough,   the   Emperor   had   hitherto    merely 


282  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

repeated  the  gossip  of  the  chateau,  the  accusations  made  by 
tljose  who  surrounded  him.  He  was  doubtless  acquainted, 
however,  with  other  stories,  matters  which  were  unknown  to 
the  Court,  but  of  which  he  had  learnt  from  his  private  agents, 
and  in  which  he  took  a  yet  livelier  interest,  for  he  revelled  in 
the  spy  system,  in  the  secret  manoeuvring  of  the  police.  He 
looked  at  Rougon  for  a  moment,  while  a  vague  smile  played 
about  his  face.  Then,  in  a  confidential  tone,  and  with  a 
somewhat  playful  air,  he  said  :  'Oh,  I  know  a  good  many 
things  ;  more,  perhaps,  than  I  care  to  know.  Here  is  another 
little  matter,  now  ;  you  have  taken  in  your  offices  a  young 
man,  a  colonel's  son,  who  has  not  obtained  a  bachelor's  dip- 
loma. It  is  not  a  matter  of  any  importance,  I  am  aware  of 
that ;  but  if  you  only  knew  all  the  fuss  that  is  made  about 
such  things !  Little  things  like  these  put  everybody's  back 
up.     It  is  really  very  bad  policy  on  your  part.' 

Rougon  made  no  reply.  His  Majesty  had  not  finished. 
He  opened  his  lips  as  though  he  were  going  to  say  something, 
but  it  was  apparently  something  that  he  found  rather  difficult 
to  express,  for  he  hesitated  for  a  moment  or  two.  At  last  he 
stammered  :  '  I  won't  say  anything  to  you  about  that  usher, 
one  of  your  proteges  named  Merle,  1  think.  But  he  gets 
drunk  and  behaves  insolently  ;  and  both  the  public  and  the 
clerks  complain  of  him.  All  this  is  very  annoying,  very 
annoying  indeed.'  Then  he  raised  his  voice,  and  concluded 
somewhat  bluntly :  '  You  have  too  many  friends,  Monsieur 
Rougon.  All  these  people  do  you  harm.  It  would  be  render- 
ing you  a  service  to  make  you  quarrel  with  them.  Well,  at 
any  rate  let  me  have  the  resignation  of  Monsieur  du  Poizat, 
and  promise  me  that  you  will  abandon  all  the  others.' 

Rougon  had  remained  quite  impassive.  He  now  bowed, 
and  replied  in  a  deep,  meaning  voice  :  '  On  the  contrary,  sire, 
I  ask  your  Majesty  for  the  ribbon  of  ofticer  of  the  Legion  of 
Honour  for  the  prefect  of  Deux- Sevres.  And  I  have  several 
other  favours  to  solicit.'  Then  he  took  a  memorandum-book 
from  his  pocket,  and  continued  :  '  Monsieur  Bejuin  begs  that 
your  Majesty  will  be  graciously  pleased  to  visit  his  cut-glass 
works  at  Saint-Florent,  when  you  go  to  Bourges.  Colonel 
Jobelin  desires  an  appointment  in  the  Imperial  Palaces.  The 
usher  Merle  calls  your  Majesty's  attention  to  the  fact  that  he 
has  gained  the  military  medal,  and  desires  a  tobacco-agency 
for  one  of  his  sisters.' 

'  Is  that  all  ?  '  asked  the  Emperor,  who  had  begun  to  smile 


IN  COUNCIL   AT  ST.    CLOUD  28 


J 


again.     '  You  are  a  magnificent  patron.     Your  friends  ought 
to  worsliip  yon.' 

'  No,  they  do  not  worship  me,  sire,  they  support  me,'  Kougon 
replied  with  his  blunt  frankness. 

This  retort  seemed  to  make  a  deep  impression  upon  the 
Emperor.  Rougon  had  just  revealed  to  him  the  whole  secret 
of  his  fideUty.  On  the  day  v.hen  he  might  allow  his  credit  to 
stagnate,  on  that  day  his  credit  would  be  killed  ;  and  in  spite 
of  scandal,  in  spite  of  the  discontent  and  treason  of  his  hand, 
it  was  his  only  possession  and  support,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
keep  it  sound  and  healthful,  if  he  himself  wished  to  remain 
unshattered.  The  more  he  got  for  his  friends — the  greater  and 
the  less  deserved  the  favours  that  he  lavished  on  them — the 
stronger  he  became  himself. 

He  added  very  respectfully,  and  in  a  very  meaning  tone : 
'  For  the  glory  of  your  Majesty's  reign,  I  hope  from  the  bottom 
of  my  heart  that  your  Majesty  may  long  preserve  about 
you  the  devoted  servants  who  helped  you  to  restore  the 
empire.' 

The  Emperor  no  longer  smiled.  He  took  a  few  steps 
about  the  room,  with  downcast  eyes  and  pensive  air.  He 
seemed  also  to  have  turned  pale  and  to  be  trembling  slightly. 
Presentiments  occasionally  afl'ected  his  mystical  nature  with 
great  force.  And  to  obviate  the  necessity  of  any  immediate 
determination,  he  decided  to  drop  the  subject.  He  again 
assumed  a  kindly  demeanour  ;  and,  referring  to  the  discussion 
which  had  taken  place  at  the  council,  seemed  even  inclined  to 
think  that  Rougon  was  right,  now  that  he  could  speak  freely 
without  any  danger  of  irrevocably  committing  himself.  The 
country,  said  he,  was  certainly  not  yet  ripe  for  liberty.  For  a 
long  time  to  come  an  energetic  hand  would  be  necessary  to 
guide  matters  with  resolution  and  firmness.  Then  he 
concluded  by  once  more  assuring  the  minister  of  his  entire 
confidence.  He  gave  him  full  liberty  of  action,  and  confirmed 
all  his  previous  instructions.  Rougon,  however,  thought  it 
necessary  to  add  another  word  on  the  subject. 

'  Sire,'  he  said,  '  I  could  never  allow  myself  to  be  at  the 
mercy  of  malevolent  gossip.  I  stand  in  need  of  stability 
if  I  am  to  accomplish  the  great  task  for  which  I  am  now 
responsible.' 

'  Monsieur  Rougon,'  replied  the  Emperor,  '  go  on  fearlessly; 
I  am  with  you.' 

Then,   bringing  the  conversation  to  a  close,  he   stepped 


284  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

towards  the  door,  followed  by  the  minister.  They  both  went 
out  and  crossed  several  apartments  on  their  way  to  the  dining- 
room.  Just  as  they  were  reaching  it,  the  Emperor  turned 
round  and  again  took  Roiigon  aside.  '  You  don't  approve, 
tlien,'  he  asked,  in  an  under-tone,  '  of  that  scheme  for  a  new 
nobility  ?  I  should  have  been  very  glad  to  see  you  support  it. 
Study  the  matter.'  Then,  without  waiting  for  a  reply,  he 
added  with  that  quiet  stubbornness  which  formed  part  of  his 
character  :  ^  '  There's  no  hurry,  however.  I  will  wait ;  for  ten 
years,  if  it  be  necessary.' 

After  dejeuner,  which  lasted  scarcely  half  an  hour,  the 
ministers  went  into  a  small  adjoining  drawing-room  where 
cofi'ee  was  served.  They  remained  there  chatting  for  a  little 
time,  standing  round  the  Emperor.  However,  Clorindo, 
whom  the  Empress  had  kept  with  her  all  this  time,  came 
to  look  for  her  husband,  with  the  easy  manner  of  a  woman 
who  mixed  freely  with  politicians.  She  shook  hands  with 
several  of  the  ministers.  They  all  clustered  round  her,  and 
the  subject  of  conversation  was  changed.  However,  his 
Majesty  began  to  pay  the  young  woman  such  marked 
attention,  and  kept  so  close  to  her,  that  their  excellencies 
thought  it  discreet  to  take  themselves  ofi"  by  degrees.  Opening 
one  of  the  glass  dooi-s  which  led  on  to  the  terrace  of  the 
chateau,  four  of  them  went  outside,  and  these  were  speedily 
followed  by  three  others.  Only  two  remained  in  the  room  to 
keep  up  an  appeaiance  of  propriety.  The  Minister  of  State, 
with  a  pleasant,  cheery  expression  upon  his  aristocratic  face, 
had  taken  Delestang  in  tow,  and  was  pointing  out  Paris  from 
the  terrace.  Rougon,  likewise  standing  in  the  sunshine,  also 
became  absorbed  m  the  spectacle  of  the  great  city  looming 
like  a  mass  of  bluish  cloud  on  the  horizon  beyond  the  great 
green  carpet  of  the  Dois  de  Boulogne. 

That  morning.  Clorinde  was  looking  very  beautiful. 
Clumsily  dressed,  as  usual,  with  her  gown  of  pale  cherry- 
coloured  silk  dragging  over  the  floor,  slie  appeared  to  have 
slipped  into  her  things  in  all  haste,  as  if  goaded  on  by  some 
strong  desire.  She  lavighed  with  the  Emperor,  and  her 
whole  demeanour  was  very  free  and  unreserved.  She  had 
made  a  conquest  of  his  Majesty  at  a  ball  given  by  the  Naval 

'  When  Napoleon  III.  was  a  lad  his  mother,  Queen  Hortense,  as  her 
letters  show,  was  wont  to  call  him  '  iiuni  doux  enUU,'  virtually  '  my 
gentle  but  stubborn  boy'— £d. 


IN  COUNCIL   AT  ST.    CLOUD  285 

Minister  which  slie  had  attended  in  the  character  of  the 
Queen  of  Hearts,  wearing  diamond  hearts  about  her  neck  and 
her  wrists  and  her  knees  ;  and  ever  since  that  evening  she 
had  remained  on  very  friendly  terms  with  Napoleon,  jesting 
playfully  whenever  he  condescended  to  compliment  her  upon 
her  beauty. 

'  Look,  Monsieur  Delestang,'  the  Minister  of  State  was 
saying  to  his  colleague  on  the  terrace,  '  see  yonder  on  the  left, 
what  a  wonderfully  soft  blue  hue  there  is  about  the  dome  of 
the  Pantheon.' 

Then,  while  Delestang  gazed  admiringly  at  the  prospect, 
the  Minister  of  State  cast  furtive  glances  into  the  little 
drawing-room  through  the  open  window.  The  Emperor  was 
bending  forward,  and  was  speaking  with  his  lips  close  to  the 
young  woman's  face,  while  she  threw  herself  back  with  tightly 
strained  breast  as  though  to  escape  him.  Nothing  could  be 
seen  of  his  Majesty  from  outside  save  an  indistinct  profile,  the 
tip  of  an  ear,  a  long  red  nose,  and  a  heavy  mouth  half-buried 
beneath  a  quivering  moustache.  His  cheek  and  eyes  were 
glow'ing,  whilst  Clorinde,  who  looked  irritatingly  fascinating, 
gently  sw'ayed  her  head  like  a  coy  young  shepherdess. 

In  spite  of  all  the  unpleasantness  at  the  council,  Kougon 
returned  to  Paris  with  Delestang  and  Clorinde.  On  the 
journey  home  the  young  woman  appeared  anxious  to  make 
her  peace  with  him.  She  no  longer  manifested  that  nervous 
restlessness  which  in  the  morning  had  impelled  her  to  choose 
disagreeable  subjects  of  conversation,  but  even  occasionally 
looked  at  Rougon  with  an  air  of  smiling  compassion.  When 
the  landau,  passing  through  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  now  steeped 
in  sunshine,  rolled  gently  alongside  the  lakes,  she  murmured 
with  a  sigh  of  enjoyment :  '  What  a  lovely  day  it  is  ! '  Then, 
after  a  moment's  reverie,  she  said  to  her  husband  :  '  Tell  me, 
is  your  sister,  Madame  de  Combelot,  still  in  love  with  the 
Emperor? ' 

'  Henriette  is  mad !  '  replied  Delestang,  shrugging  his 
shoulders. 

But  Rougon  intervened  :  *  Yes,  indeed,  she's  still  in  love,' 
said  he  :  '  people  assert  that  she  actually  threw  herself  at  his 
^Majesty's  feet  one  day.  He  raised  her  and  advised  her  to  be 
patient.' 

'Ah,  jes,  indeed,'  cried  Clorinde  gaily,  'She'll  have  a 
long  time  to  wait  !  ' 


286  JUS  EXCELLENCY 

XII 

DEFECTION 

Clorinde  was  now  revelling  in  a  florescence  of  fantasy  and 
power.  In  character  she  was  still  the  big  eccentric  girl  who 
had  scoured  Paris  on  a  livery-stable  hack  in  search  of  a 
husband;  but  the  big  girl  had  developed  into  a  woman,  who 
calmly  performed  the  most  extraordinary  actions,  having  at 
length  realised  her  long-cherished  dream  of  becoming  a 
power.  Her  everlasting  prowlings  in  out-of-the-way  neigh- 
bourhoods, her  correspondence  which  inundated  the  four 
corners  of  France  and  Italy  with  letters,  her  continued  con- 
tact with  politicians,  mto  whose  intimacy  she  managed  to  in- 
sinuate herself,  and  all  her  erratic  schemings,  full  of  gaps 
and  illogical  as  they  were,  had  ended  in  the  acquirement  of 
real  and  indisputable  influence.  She  still  indulged  in  strange 
eccentricities,  and  propounded  wild  schemes  and  extravagant 
hopes,  even  when  she  was  talking  seriously.  And  when  she 
went  out,  she  stiU  took  her  tattered  portfolio  with  her,  carry- 
ing it  in  her  arms  like  a  baby,  and  with  such  an  air  of  earnest- 
ness that  people  in  the  streets  smiled  as  she  passed  them  in 
her  dirty,  draggling  skirts.  However,  she  was  consulted  now, 
and  even  feared.  No  one  could  have  exactly  told  the  origin 
of  her  power,  which  seemed  to  come  from  numerous  distant 
and  invisible  sources,  now  difficult  to  trace.  Folks  knew 
nothing  but  a  few  scraps  of  gossip,  anecdotes  that  were 
whispered  from  ear  to  ear.  There  was  something  to  mystify 
one  in  the  young  woman's  strangely  compound  character,  in 
which  wild  imagination  was  linked  to  common  sense  which 
commanded  attention  and  obedience,  while  apart  from  all 
mental  attributes  there  was  her  magnificent  person,  in  which, 
perhaps,  lay  the  true  secret  of  her  power.  It  mattered  little, 
however,  upon  what  foundations  Clorinde's  throne  was 
reared.  It  was  sufficient  that  she  did  reign,  though  it  were 
in  a  whimsical,  erratic  fashion,  and  that  people  bowed  down 
before  her. 

This  was  a  real  period  of  power  for  the  young  woman.  In 
her  dressing-room,  amidst  a  litter  of  dirty  basins,  she  con- 
trived to  centralise  the  policy  of  all  the  courts  of  Europe. 
8he  received  information,  even  detailed  reports,  in  which  the 


DEFECTION  287 

slightest  pulsations  of  governmental  life  were  carefully  noted, 
before  the  embassies  did,  and  without  anyone  knowing  whence 
her  news  was  derived.  As  a  natural  consequence  she  was 
surroimded  by  a  court  of  bankers,  and  diplomatists,  and 
friends,  who  came  to  her  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  information. 
The  bankers  showed  her  particular  attention.  She  had 
enabled  one  of  them  to  gain  a  hundred  million  francs  in -a 
single  haul  by  merely  telling  him  of  an  approaching  change 
of  ministry  in  a  neighbouring  state.  Truth  to  tell,  however, 
she  disdained  to  employ  her  knowledge  for  purpos  s  of  gain, 
and  she  readily  told  all  that  she  knew — the  gossip  of  diplo- 
matists, and  the  talk  of  the  different  capitals— for  the  mere 
pleasure  of  hearing  herself  speak,  and  of  showing  that  she 
had  her  eyes  upon  Turin,  Vienna,  Madrid,  and  London,  as 
well  as  on  Berlin  and  St.  Petersburg.  She  could  supply 
endless  information  concerning  the  health  of  the  different 
sovereigns,  their  amours  and  habits,  the  politicians  of  the 
various  states,  and  all  the  scandals  of  even  the  smallest  Ger- 
man duchies.  She  judged  statesmen  in  a  single  phrase ; 
jumped  from  north  to  south  without  the  slightest  transition  ; 
spoke  as  carelessly  of  the  different  countries  of  Europe  as  if 
they  had  been  her  own,  as  if,  indeed,  the  whole  wide  world, 
with  its  cities  and  nations,  had  formed  part  of  a  box  of  play- 
things, whose  little  cardboard  houses  and  wooden  men  she 
could  set  up,  and  move  about  as  she  pleased.  And,  when  at 
last  her  tongue  ceased  wagging,  and  she  was  tired  of  chatter- 
ing, she  would  snap  her  fingers,  as  though  to  say  that  this 
was  quite  as  much  as  all  these  things  were  worth. 

For  the  time  being,  amidst  her  many  tangled  schemes, 
there  was  one  very  serious  matter  which  excited  her  warmest 
enthusiasm,  and  on  which  she  tried  her  best  to  keep  silent, 
though,  occasionally,  she  could  not  deny  herself  the  pleasure 
of  alluding  to  it.  She  wanted  Venice.  Whenever  she  spoke 
of  the  great  Italian  minister,  she  referred  to  him  familiarly  as 
'  Cavour.'  '  Cavour,'  said  she,  '  did  not  want  it,  but  I  want 
it,  and  he  has  understood.'  Morning  and  night  she  shut  her- 
self up  at  the  embassy  with  Chevalier  Kusconi.  And  tran- 
quilly lounging,  throwing  back  her  narrow,  but  goddess- like 
brow,  as  if  in  a  sort  of  somnambulism,  she  would  utter  scraps 
of  disconnected  sentences,  shreds  of  revelations  ;  a  hint  of 
a  secret  interview  between  the  Emperor  and  some  foreign 
statesman ;  a  projected  treaty  of  aUiance,  some  clauses  of 
which  were  still  under  discussion ;  a  war  which  would  take 


288  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

place  in  the  coming  spring.  On  other  days  she  became 
excited  and  angry,  kicked  the  chairs  about  her  room  and 
knocked  the  basins  over  at  the  risk  of  breaking  them.  On 
these  occasions  she  looked  Uke  some  angry  queen  who  hag 
been  betrayed  by  imbecile  ministers,  and  sees  her  kingdom 
going  from  bad  to  worse ;  and,  with  a  tragic  air,  she  would 
stretch  her  bare  majestic  arm  in  the  direction  of  Italy  and 
clench  her  fist,  exclaiming  :  '  Ah  !  if  I  were  over  }onder  there 
would  be  none  of  this  folly  ! ' 

However,  the  worries  of  high  politics  did  not  prevent 
Clorinde  from  engaging  in  all  sorts  of  other  businesses,  in 
which  she  seemed  to  get  quite  lost.  She  was  often  to  be 
found  sitting  on  her  bed  with  the  contents  of  her  large  port- 
folio spread  over  the  counterpane,  while  she  plunged  her  arms 
into  the  papers,  distracted  and  crying  with  irritation.  She 
would  be  unable  to  find  anything  amidst  such  a  chaos  of 
documents  ;  or  else,  after  long  hunting  for  some  lost  batch  of 
papers,  she  would  at  length  discover  it  behind  some  piece  of 
furniture  or  amongst  her  old  boots  or  dirty  linen.  ^Vhen  she 
went  out  to  conclude  any  particular  piece  of  busin<  ss,  she 
generally  contrived  to  involve  herself  in  two  or  three  fresh 
affairs  on  her  way.  She  was  for  ever  rushmg  about  to  all 
sorts  of  places,  lived  in  a  perfect  whirl  of  ideas,  a  state  of  per- 
petual excitement ;  while  beneath  her  lay  the  mazy  depths  of 
mysterious,  unfathomable  intrigues.  When  she  came  home 
again  in  the  evening,  after  a  day's  scouring  of  Paris,  tired  out 
by  climbing  so  many  flights  of  stairs,  and  carrying  in  the  folds 
of  her  skirts  an  odour  of  all  the  strange  haunts  which  she  had 
visited,  no  one  would  have  guessed  one  half  of  the  errands 
that  she  had  been  engaged  upon.  And  if  anyone  happened  to 
question  her,  she  only  laughed  ;  she  herself  did  not  always 
remember  what  she  had  been  doing. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  she  had  the  extraordinary 
whim  of  engaging  a  private  room  at  one  of  the  great  restau- 
rants on  the  boulevard.  The  hou.«e  in  the  Rue  du  Cohsee 
was  so  far  av,-ay  from  everything,  she  said;  she  wanted  a 
place  in  some  central  position  ;  so  she  turned  the  private 
room  at  the  restaurant  into  an  office.  For  two  months  she 
received  there  all  who  wanted  to  see  her,  simply  attended  by 
the  waiters,  who  had  to  usher  in  persons  of  the  highest 
position.  Great  functionaries,  ambassadors,  and  ministers 
presented  themselves  at  the  restaurant.  Clorinde,  entirely  at 
her  ease  there,  made  them  sit  down  on  the  couch,  damaged 


DEFECTION  289 

by  the  supper  parties  of  the  Carnival,  while  she  herself  remained 
in  front  of  the  table,  the  cloth  of  which  was  always  laid,  strewn 
with  bread-crumbs  and  littered  with  papers.  She  camped 
there  like  a  general  officer.  One  day,  however,  when  she  did 
not  feel  very  w'ell,  she  calmly  went  upstairs  to  the  top  of  the 
house  and  lay  down  on  the  bed  of  the  maitre  d' hotel,  vfho 
usually  waited  upon  her,  and  she  could  not  be  induced  to  go 
home  till  it  was  nearly  midnight. 

Delestang,  in  spite  of  everything,  w^as  a  happy  man.  He 
appeared  to  be  quite  ignorant  of  his  wife's  eccentricities.  She 
was  now  completely  master  of  him,  and  treated  him  as  she 
liked,  while  he  never  made  the  least  complaint.  His  natural 
temperament  predisposed  him  to  this  kind  of  servitude.  He 
found  far  too  much  happiness  in  the  secret  surrender  of 
his  authority  to  attempt  any  revolt.  In  the  privacy  of 
their  domestic  life,  it  was  he  who  rendered  Clorinde  all  kinds 
of  little  services.  He  hunted  about  for  her  lost  boots,  or 
went  through  all  the  linen  in  the  wardrobe  to  find  a  chemise 
that  was  not  in  holes.  He  was  quite  satisfied  with  preserv- 
ing a  serene  appearance  of  superiority  when  he  was  at  other 
people's  houses.  The  unruffled  air  of  loving  protection  with 
which  he  then  spoke  of  his  wife  almost  won  him  public 
respect. 

Clorinde,  having  now  become  all-powerful  at  home,  had 
decided  to  bring  her  mother  back  from  Turin.  She  intended, 
she  said,  that  Countess  Balbi  should  henceforth  spend  six 
months  of  each  year  with  her.  She  seemed  to  be  suddenly 
overwhelmed  by  an  outburst  of  filial  affection.  She  threw  a 
whole  floor  of  the  house  into  confusion  so  as  so  instal  the  old 
lady  as  near  as  possible  to  her  own  apartments.  She  even 
provided  a  door  of  communication  between  her  dressing- 
room  and  her  mother's  bedchamber.  In  Rougon's  presence 
especially  she  made  an  excessive  parade  of  her  affection, 
indulging  in  the  most  exaggerated  Italian  expressions  of  en- 
dearment. How^  had  she  ever  been  able,  she  wondered,  to 
resign  herself  to  such  a  long  sepa-'atiou  from  her  mother,  she 
who,  before  her  marriage,  had  never  left  her  for  an  hour  ? 
She  accused  herself  of  want  of  heart.  But  it  was  not  her 
fault,  she  protested ;  she  had  been  forced  to  yield  to  other 
people's  advice,  to  give  way  before  pretended  necessities,  in 
which  even  now  she  could  see  no  force.  Rougon  remained 
quite  unmoved  by  this  rebelhon.  He  had  altogether  ceased 
to  lecture  her,  and  no  longer  attempted  to  make  her  one  of 

u 


2  90  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

the  most  distinguished  women  in  Paris.  In  former  times  she 
had  filled  up  a  gap  in  his  life,  but  now  that  he  was  in  the  fore- 
front of  the  battle  with  fourteen  hours'  work  to  get  through 
every  day,  he  gave  little  thought  to  love  and  passion.  Never- 
theless, he  continued  to  treat  her  with  an  air  of  affection, 
mingled  with  that  kind  of  contempt  which  he  usually  mani- 
fested for  women.  He  came  to  see  her  from  time  to  time,  and 
then  his  eyes  wovild  occasionally  gleam  as  in  the  days  of  old. 
She  was  still  his  one  weakness  ;  the  one  woman  who  perturbed 
him. 

Since  Rougon  had  gone  to  live  at  the  official  residence  of 
the  Minister  of  the  Interior  where  his  friends  complained  that 
they  could  no  longer  see  him  in  intimate  fashion,  Clorinde 
had  thought  of  recei\ing  the  band  at  her  own  house,  and  it 
had  gradually  become  a  custom  for  the  others  to  go  there. 
To  mark  more  plainly  the  fact  that  these  receptions  took  the 
place  of  those  in  the  Rue  Marbeuf,  she  fixed  the  same  evenings 
as  Rougon  had  chosen,  namely  Sundays  and  Thursdays. 
There  was  this  difference,  however,  that  in  the  Rue  du  Colisee 
the  guests  remained  till  one  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Clorinde 
received  them  in  her  boudoir,  as  Delestang  still  kept  the  keys 
of  the  big  drawing-room  for  fear  of  it  being  damaged  by 
grease-spots.  And  as  the  boudoir  Avas  a  very  small  apartment, 
Clorinde  left  the  doors  of  her  dressing-room  and  bed-room 
open  ;  so  that,  very  frequently,  the  friends  were  to  be  found 
crowding  together  in  the  sleeping- chamber  amid  a  litter  of 
feminine  finery. 

On  Thursdays  and  Sundays,  Clorinde  usually  made  a  point 
of  hastening  home  early  so  as  to  get  through  her  dinner  in 
time  to  receive  her  guests.  But,  in  spite  of  all  her  efforts  to 
remember  these  evening  receptions,  she  twice  forgot  all  about 
them,  and  was  taken  quite  aback  on  finding  a  crowd  of  people 
in  her  bed-room  when  she  retui-ned  home  after  midnight. 
One  Thursday,  towards  the  end  of  May,  she  got  home  at  the 
unusually  early  hour  of  five.  She  had  been  out  on  foot  and 
had  preferred  to  walk  all  the  way  from  the  Place  de  la  Con- 
corde in  a  heavy  fall  of  rain  rather  than  pay  thirty  sous  for  a 
cab.  She  was  quite  soaked  when  she  reached  the  house,  and 
she  went  straight  to  her  dressing-room  where  her  maid,  Antonia, 
whose  mouth  was  smeared  with  jam,  undressed  her,  laughing 
merrily  the  while  at  the  stream  of  water  which  poured  from 
her  mistress's  clothes  on  to  the  floor. 

'  There  is  a  gentleman  come  to  see  you,'  said  the  servant, 


DEFECTION  291 

presently,  as  she  sat  down  on  the  floor  to  take  off  Clorinde's 
boots.     '  He  has  been  waiting  for  an  hour.' 

Clorinde  asked  her  what  he  was  hke.  The  maid,  with  her 
greasy  dress  and  unkempt  hair,  and  her  white  teeth  gleaming 
in  her  dusky  face,  remained  sitting  on  the  floor.  The  gentle- 
man, she  said,  was  fat  and  pale,  and  stern-looking. 

'  Oh,  it  must  be  Monsieur  de  Reuthlinguer  the  banker,' 
cried  Clorinde.  '  I  remember  now,  he  was  to  come  at  four 
o'clock.  Well,  let  him  wait.  You  have  the  bath  ready  for  me, 
haven't  you  ?  ' 

Then  she  quietly  get  into  the  bath  which  was  concealed 
behind  a  curtain  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  and  while  in  it,  she 
read  the  letters  which  had  arrived  during  ber  absence.  Half 
an  hour  went  by  when  Antonia,  after  leaving  the  room  for  a 
few  minutes,  came  back  again  and  said  to  her  mistress  :  '  The 
gentleman  saw  you  come  in  and  would  very  much  like  to 
speak  to  you,  madame.' 

'  Oh,  dear,  I'd  forgotten  all  about  him  !  '  cried  Clorinde. 
*  Come  and  dress  me,  quickly.' 

However,  the  young  woman  showed  much  capriciousness 
over  her  toilette  that  evening.  In  spite  of  the  neglect  with 
which  she  usually  treated  her  person,  she  was  occasionally 
seized  with  a  sudden  idolatry  for  it.  At  these  times  she 
would  indulge  in  the  most  elaborate  toilette  ;  even  having  her 
limbs  rubbed  with  ointments  and  balms  and  aromatic  oils,  of 
a  nature  known  only  to  herself,  which  had  been  bought  at 
Constantinople,  so  she  said,  from  the  perfumer  to  the  Seraglio, 
by  an  Italian  diplomatist,  a  friend  of  hers.  While  Antonia 
was  rubbing  her,  she  threw  herself  into  statuesque  attitudes. 
This  anointing  made  her  skin  white  and  soft,  and  beautiful  as 
marble.  One  of  the  oils,  of  which  she  herself  carefully 
counted  the  drops  as  she  let  them  fall  on  to  a  small  piece  of 
flannel,  had  the  miraculous  quality  of  at  once  eft'acing  every 
wrinkle.  And  when  this  business  was  over,  she  would  com- 
mence a  minute  examination  of  her  hands  and  feet.  She 
could  have  spent  a  whole  day  in  adoring  herself. 

At  the  end  of  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  however,  when 
Antonia  had  slipped  some  wraps  over  her,  she  suddenly 
seemed  to  recollect  her  visitor.  '  Oh,  dear,  the  Baron  ! '  she 
cried.     '  Well,  never  mind,  show  him  in  here  ! ' 

]\I.  de  Eeuthlinguer  had  been  patiently  sitting  in  Clorinde's 
boudoir,  with  his  hands  clasped  over  his  knees  for  more  than 
two  hours.     He  was  a  pale  frigid  man  of  austere  morals,  the 

Ml 


292  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

possessor  of  one  of  the  largest  fortunes  in  Europe,  and  for 
some  time  past  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  thus  dancing 
attendance  upon  Clorinde  twice  or  thrice  a  week.  He  even 
invited  her  to  his  own  house,  that  abode  of  rigid  decorum  and 
glacial  strictness,  where  the  young  woman's  startling  eccen- 
tricities quite  shocked  the  footmen. 

'  Good  day,  baron  !  '  Clorinde  exclaimed  as  he  came  in. 
'  I'm  having  my  hair  dressed,  so  don't  look.' 

An  indulgent  smile  played  round  the  baron's  pale  lips. 
After  bowing  with  the  most  respectful  courtesy,  he  remained 
standing  quite  close  to  her,  without  a  quiver  of  his  eyelids. 

'  You've  come  for  news,  haven't  you  ?  '  she  asked.  '  Well, 
I've  just  heard  something.' 

Then  she  got  up  and  dismissed  Antonia,  who  went  away 
leaving  the  comb  stuck  in  her  mistress's  hair.  Clorinde  was 
doubtless  afraid  of  being  overheard,  for  laying  her  hand  on 
the  banker's  shoulder  and,  standing  on  tiptoe,  she  whispered 
something  in  his  ear.  As  he  listened  to  her,  he  nodded  his 
head  briskly. 

'  There  !  '  concluded  the  young  woman,  raising  her  voice. 
'  You  can  go  now.' 

But  the  banker  took  hold  of  her  bare  arm  and  brought  her 
back  towards  him  to  ask  for  certain  explanations.  He  could 
not  have  been  more  at  his  ease  if  he  had  been  talking  to  one 
of  his  clerks,  instead  of  to  this  beautiful  woman  in  deshabille. 
When  he  left  her,  he  invited  her  to  dine  at  his  house  on  the 
following  day.  His  wife  was  very  anxious  to  see  her  again, 
he  said.  She  accompanied  him  to  the  door,  but  all  at  once 
crossed  her  arms  over  her  bosom  and  turned  very  red  as  she 
exclaimed  :  '  Good  gracious  !  I  was  actually  about  to  go  out 
with  you  like  this  ! ' 

She  now  began  to  scold  Antonia  for  being  so  slow.  She 
would  never  get  finished  !  she  cried ;  and  then  she  scarcely 
gave  the  girl  time  to  dress  her  hair,  saying  that  she  hated 
being  so  long  over  her  toilette.  In  spite  of  the  time  of  the 
year,  she  insisted  upon  wearing  a  long  robe  of  black  velvet,  a 
sort  of  loose  blouse,  drawn  in  at  the  waist  with  a  red  silk 
girdle.  Twice  already,  a  servant  had  come  to  tell  her  that 
dinner  was  served.  However,  as  she  passed  through  her  bed- 
room, she  found  three  gentlemen  there,  of  whose  presence  no 
one  had  had  the  slightest  idea.  They  were  the  three  political 
refugees,  Signori  Brambilla,  Staderina,  and  Viscardi.  Clorinde, 
however,  showed  no  surprise  at  meeting  them. 


DEFECTION  293 

'  Have  you  been  waiting  for  me  long  ? '  she  asked. 

'  Yes,  yes,'  they  replied,  gently  nodding  their  heads. 

They  had  arrived  before  the  banker,  but  had  remained  ex- 
tremely quiet,  for  political  misfortunes  had  made  them  taciturn 
and  reflective.  They  were  seated  side  by  side  on  the  same 
couch,  all  three  lolling  in  much  the  same  position,  with  big 
extinguished  cigars  between  their  lips.  But  they  now  rose 
and  clustered  round  Clorinde,  and  a  rapid  muttering  in  Italian 
ensued.  The  young  woman  seemed  to  be  giving  them  in- 
structions. One  of  the  refugees  took  notes  in  cipher  in  a 
pocket-book,  while  the  others,  appearing  much  excited  by 
what  they  heard,  stifled  slight  cries  with  their  gloved  hands. 
Then  they  all  three  went  off  in  single  file,  with  quite  impene- 
trable faces. 

That  Thursday  evening  it  had  been  arranged  that  several 
of  the  ministers  should  confer  together  on  a  very  important 
financial  matter.  When  Delestang  went  off  after  dinner,  he 
told  Clorinde  that  he  would  bring  Rougon  back  with  him,  at 
which  his  wife  made  a  little  grimace  which  seemed  to  imply 
that  she  was  not  very  anxious  to  see  her  whilom  master. 
There  was  as  yet  no  positive  break  in  their  friendship,  but  the 
young  woman  showed  an  increasing  coldness  towards  Kougon. 

Towards  nine  o'clock,  M.  Kahn  and  M.  Bejuin  arrived 
together.  They  were  the  first  of  the  band  to  put  in  an 
appearance,  but  were  soon  followed  by  Madame  Correur. 
Clorinde  was  found  in  her  bedroom,  stretched  upon  a  couch 
there.  She  complained  of  one  of  those  extraordinary  and  un- 
heard-of troubles  which  suddenly  came  upon  her  every  now 
and  then.  She  must  have  swallowed  a  fly,  she  said,  while 
drinking,  for  she  could  feel  it  flying  about  inside  her  stomach. 
Draped  in  her  long  black  velvet  robe,  her  shoulders  supported 
by  three  pillows,  she  none  the  less  looked  superbly  beautiful 
with  her  pale  face  and  bare  arms,  recalling  indeed  one  of  those 
reclining,  dreaming  figures,  which  sculptors  portray  on  monu- 
ments. At  her  feet  was  Luigi  Pozzo,  gently  twanging  the 
strings  of  a  guitar.     He  had  deserted  painting  for  music. 

'  Sit  down,  w^on't  you  ?  '  she  said  to  the  others.  '  Please 
excuse  me.  A  wretched  little  insect  has  got  inside  me 
somehow.' 

Pozzo  went  on  twanging  his  guitar,  and  singing  in  a  low 
voice,  with  an  ecstatic  expression  on  his  face,  as  if  lost  in  a 
reverie.  Madame  Correur  wheeled  a  chair  up  to  Clorinde's 
side,  and  M.  Kahn  and  M.  Bejuin,  after  a  little  searching, 


2  94  ffIS  EXCELLENCY 

also  succeeded  in  finding  seats.  It  was  not  an  easy  matter  to 
do  so,  for  the  five  or  six  chairs  were  hidden  beneath  a  litter 
of  dresses  and  petticoats,  so  that  when  Colonel  Jobelin  and 
his  son  Auguste  arrived  five  minutes  later,  they  had  to  remain 
standing. 

'  Little  one,'  said  Clorinde  to  Auguste,  whom  she  still 
treated  quite  familiarly  in  spite  of  his  seventeen  years,  '  go 
and  bring  two  chairs  out  of  my  dressing-room.' 

These  were  cane-seated  chairs,  with  all  the  varnish  worn 
away  by  the  damp  linen  which  was  constantly  hung  over  their 
backs.  The  bedroom  was  lighted  by  a  single  lamp  with  a 
shade  of  pink  paper.  There  was  another  in  the  dressing-room 
and  a  third  in  the  boudoir,  which,  seen  through  the  doorways, 
seemed  to  be  full  of  dusky  shadow,  as  though  merely  illumi- 
nated by  a  night-light.  The  bedroom  itself,  with  hangings 
of  a  tender  mauve  that  had  now  turned  to  a  pale  grey,  was 
full  of  a  floating  haze,  in  which  one  could  scarcely  distinguish 
the  rents  in  the  coverings  of  the  easy-chairs,  the  dust-marks 
on  the  furniture  and  the  big  ink- stain  in  the  middle  of  the 
carpet  where  some  inkstand  had  fallen  with  such  force  that 
even  the  wainscotting  was  splashed.  The  bed-curtains  had 
been  drawn,  probably  in  order  to  conceal  the  untidiness  of 
the  bed.  And  amidst  this  hazy  gloom,  there  rose  a  powerful 
s  jent  as  though  all  the  bottles  and  flasks  in  the  dressing-room 
liad  remained  uncorked.  Clorinde  obstinately  refused  to  have 
any  of  the  windows  open,  even  in  warm  weather. 

*  What  a  nice  scent  you've  got  here,'  said  Madame 
Correur,  complimentarily. 

'  Oh,  it's  I  who  smell  so  nice,'  the  young  woman  naively 
replied. 

Then  she  began  to  talk  of  the  essences  which  she  ob- 
tained direct  from  the  perfumer  to  the  Sultanas,  and  even 
held  her  arm  under  Madame  Correur's  nose.  Her  black 
velvet  blouse  had  got  a  little  disarranged,  and  her  feet,  in 
their  little  red  slippers,  showed  below  it.  Pozzo,  languid  and 
intoxicated  by  the  strong  perfumes  which  she  exhaled,  was 
tapping  his  instrument  gently  with  his  thumb. 

However,  after  a  few  minutes,  the  conversation  turned  of 
necessity  on  Rougon,  as  was  invariably  the  case  every  Thurs- 
day and  Sunday.  The  band  seemed  to  come  together  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  discussing  this  one  everlasting  subject.  Its 
members  felt  an  ever-growing  rancour  against  the  great  man, 
a  craving  to  relieve  themselves  by  ceaseless  recrimination. 


DEFECTION  295 

Clorinde  no  longer  had  any  trouble  to  set  them  going.  They 
always  arrived  with  a  fresh  burden  of  grievances,  ever  dis- 
contented and  jealous,  actually  embittered  by  what  Kougon 
had  done  for  them,  and  burning  with  a  violent  fever  of  in- 


gratitude. 


'  Have  you  seen  the  fat  man  to  day  ?  '  the  colonel  asked. 

Rougon  was  no  longer  '  the  great  man.' 

*No,'  said  Clorinde;  '  but  we  may  see  him  here  this  even- 
ing.    My  husband  persists  in  bringing  hhn  to  see  me.' 

'  I  was  in  a  cafe  this  afternoon,  where  they  were  criticising 
him  very  severely,'  the  colonel  continued,  after  a  pause. 
'  They  say  that  his  position  is  very  shaky,  and  that  he  won't 
last  another  two  months.' 

M.  Kahn  made  a  gesture  of  contempt.  '  Well,  for  my 
part,'  he  said,  '  I  don't  give  him  three  weeks.  Eougon,  you 
see,  is  not  cut  out  for  governing  He  is  too  fond  of  power, 
and  gets  intoxicated  with  it ;  and  then  he  strikes  out  right 
and  left  and  treats  people  with  revolting  harshness.  During 
these  last  five  months  he  has  been  guilty  of  some  most  mon- 
strous acts.' 

*  Yes,  yes,  indeed,'  the  colonel  interrupted  ;  '  all  kinds  of 
injustices  and  unfairnesses  and  absurdities.  He  abuses  his 
power,  most  certainly  he  does.' 

Madame  Correur  said  nothing,  but  expressed,  by  a  gesture, 
her  opinion  that  Rougon' s  head  was  not  particularly  well 
balanced. 

'  Ah,  yes,  indeed,'  said  M.  Kahn,  noticing  the  gesture. 
*  He  hasn't  got  a  well-lixed  head,  has  he  ?  ' 

Then  M.  Bejuin  observed  that  the  others  were  looldng  at 
him,  and  felt  called  upon  to  say  something.  '  No  !  Rougon's 
not  at  all  an  able  man,'  he  remarked  ;  '  not  at  all.' 

Clorinde  lay  back  on  her  pillows,  gazing  at  the  luminous 
circle  which  the  lamp  cast  on  the  ceiling,  and  letting  the 
others  talk  on.  When  they  paused,  she  said,  with  the  in- 
tention of  starting  them  again  :  '  There  is  no  doubt  that  he 
has  abused  his  power,  but  he  asserts  that  the  things  with 
which  people  reproach  him  were  done  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
obligmg  his  friends.  I  was  talking  to  him  on  the  subject  the 
other  day.     The  services  which  he  has  rendered  you ' 

*  Rendered  us  !  rendered  us  !  '  they  all  cried  furiously. 
And  they  went  on  talking  all  together,  eager  to  protest 
against  any  such  insinuation.  However,  M.  Kahn  shouted 
the  others  down. 


296  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

'  The  services  which  he  has  rendered  me  !  That's  a  fine 
joke  !  I  had  to  wait  two  years  for  my  railway  grant,  with 
the  result  that  the  prospects  of  the  scheme,  once  very  bril- 
liant, have  suffered  considerably.  If  he  is  such  a  friend  of 
mine,  why  doesn't  he  come  to  my  assistance  now  ?  I  asked 
him  to  obtain  the  Emperor's  sanction  to  a  bill  authorising 
the  amalgamation  of  my  company  with  the  Western  Company, 
and  he  told  me  that  I  must  wait.  Eougon's  services  to  me, 
indeed  !  Well,  I  should  like  to  know  what  they  are  !  He 
has  never  done  anything  for  me,  and  he  can't  do  anything 
now  !  ' 

'  And  I,  and  I,  do  you  imagine  that  I  am  indebted  to  him 
for  anything?  '  cried  the  colonel,  breal<ing  in  before  Madame 
Correur  could  speak.  '  He  surely  doesn't  take  any  credit  to 
himself  for  that  commander's  cross,  which  had  been  promised 
to  me  for  five  years  and  more  ?  He  has  taken  Auguste  into 
his  office,  it  is  true  ;  but  I  bitterly  regret  now  that  I  ever  let 
the  boy  go  there.  If  I  had  put  him  into  busmess  he  would 
have  been  earning  twice  as  much.  That  wretched  Rougon 
told  me  only  yesterday  that  he  would  not  be  able  to  increase 
Auguste's  pay  for  another  eighteen  months.  That  is  the  way 
he  ruins  his  credit  for  the  sake  of  his  friends  !  ' 

At  last  Madame  Correur  also  was  able  to  relieve  her 
feelings.  '  Did  he  mention  my  name  ?  '  she  said,  bending 
towards  Clorinde.  '  I  never  asked  that  much  from  him  ;  and 
have  yet  to  learn  the  nature  of  his  services  to  me.  He  can't 
say  as  much  with  regard  to  my  services  to  him  ;    and  if  I 

liked  to  talk .     But  no  matter.     I  certainly  asked  him 

for  a  few  favours  on  behalf  of  my  friends.  I  don't  deny  that. 
I  delight  in  being  of  use  to  anyone.  But  I  must  say  that 
everything  he  has  a  hand  in  turns  out  badly,  and  that  his 
favours  seem  to  bring  ill-luck.  There's  that  poor  Herminie 
Billecoq,  an  old  pupil  of  Saint  Denis,  who  was  wronged  by  an 
officer,  and  for  whom  Rougon  procured  a  dowry.  Well,  the 
poor  girl  came  to  me  with  a  dreadful  story  this  morning. 
There's  no  chance  of  her  getting  married  after  all,  for  the 
officer  has  absconded,  taking  the  dowry  with  him.  And  you 
understand  me.  Anything  that  Rougon  has  done  at  my 
request  has  been  done  for  others,  and  not  for  myself.  When 
I  came  back  from  Coulonges,  after  the  settlement  of  my 
brother's  affairs,  I  went  to  tell  him  of  the  tricks  that  Madame 
Martineau  had  been  playing  with  respect  to  the  division  of  the 
property.    I  wanted  the  house  in  which  I  was  born  as  part  of 


DEFECTION  297 

my  share,  but  the  wretched  woman  contrived  to  keep  it  her- 
self. Well,  do  you  know  what  was  the  only  answer  I  could 
get  from  Rougon  ?  He  told  me  three  times  over  that  he 
couldn't  trouble  himself  any  further  about  the  miserable 
business  !  ' 

While  Madame  Correur  was  speaking,  M.  Bejuin,  in  his 
turn,  had  begun  to  show  signs  of  excitement,  and  he  now 
stammered  :  '  I  am  exactly  in  the  same  position  as  Madame. 
I  have  never  asked  Rougon  for  anything  —never,  never  !  Any- 
thing that  he  may  have  done  has  been  done  in  spite  of  me, 
and  without  my  knowing  anything  about  it.  He  avails  him- 
self of  one's  silence  to  take  every  advantage  of  one,  yes, 
every  advantage.' 

His  words  died  away  in  a  mutter ;  and  then  all  four  re- 
mained for  a  moment  silently  wagging  their  heads. 

Presently  M.  Kahn  resumed,  m  a  solemn  voice :  '  The 
truth  of  the  matter  is  this.  Rougon  is  an  ungrateful  fellow. 
You  all  remember  how  we  used  to  scour  Pans,  working  to  get 
him  back  into  office.  We  devoted  ourselves  to  his  cause  to 
such  a  point  as  to  take  our  meals  anywhere  and  anyhow. 
And  he  then  contracted  a  debt  towards  us  which  in  his  whole 
lifetime  he  could  not  fairly  discharge.  Now,  however,  he 
finds  gratitude  too  heavy  a  burden  for  him,  and  so  he  casts 
us  adrift.     Well,  we  might  have  expected  as  much  ! ' 

'  Yes,  yes,  indeed,'  cried  the  others.  '  He  owes  everything 
to  us,  and  he's  repaying  us  in  a  pretty  fashion.' 

Then  for  a  while  they  completely  overwhelmed  Rougon 
with  an  enumeration  of  all  the  things  they  had  done  for  him  ; 
whenever  one  of  them  became  silent  another  brought  forward 
some  still  more  crushing  detail.  The  colonel,  however,  sud- 
denly felt  uneasy  about  Auguste,  who  had  disappeared  from 
the  bedchamber.  Just  then  a  peculiar  noise  was  heard  in 
the  dressing-room — a  sort  of  gentle,  continuous  dabbling 
sound — and  the  colonel  hurried  ofi'  to  see  what  it  could  be. 
He  then  found  Auguste  apparently  much  interested  in  the 
bath,  which  Autonia  had  forgotten  to  empty.  Some  slices  of 
lemon,  which  Clorinde  had  used  for  her  nails,  were  floating 
on  the  water,  and  these  Auguste  was  inquisitively  examining. 

'  The  boy  is  quite  a  nuisance,'  murmured  Clorinde.  '  He 
goes  poking  about  everywhere.' 

'  Really,  now,'  said  Madame  Correur,  who  seemed  to  have 
been  waiting  for  the  colonel's  absence,  '  the  thing  in  which 
Rougon  is  most  deficient  is  tact.     Between  ourselves,  I  may 


29S  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

say,  now  that  the  gallant  colonel  can't  hear  us,  that  it  was  a 
great  mistake  on  Rougon's  part  to  take  that  young  man  into 
his  office  in  defiance  of  the  regulations.  That  is  not  the  kind 
of  service  a  man  ought  to  render  to  his  friends.  It  only 
brings  him  into  discredit.' 

However,  Clorinde  interrupted  her.  'Do  go,  my  dear 
madam,'  said  she,  '  and  see  what  they're  doing  in  the  bath- 
room.' 

M.  Kahn  had  begun  to  smile,  and,  when  Madame  Correur 
left  the  room,  he  also  lowered  his  voice  and  put  in  a  word. 
'  How  fine  it  is  to  hear  her  talk,'  he  said.  '  The  colonel  has, 
no  doubt,  been  well  looked  after  by  Rougon,  but  she  herself 
has  no  reason  to  complain.  Rougon  absolutely  compromised 
himself  on  her  account  in  that  troublesome  Martineau  busi- 
ness. He  showed  himself  very  deficient  in  morahty  in  that 
matter.  Nobody  ought  to  kill  a  man  for  the  mere  sake  of 
pleasing  an  old  friend,  ought  he  ?  ' 

Then  M.  Kahn  got  up  and  began  to  stroll  about  the  room, 
and  ultimately  he  went  back  to  the  ante-room  to  get  his  cigar- 
case,  which  he  had  left  in  his  overcoat.  At  that  moment  the 
colonel  and  Madame  Correur  came  back. 

*  Hallo  !  has  Kahn  gone  ?  '  exclaimed  the  colonel ;  and, 
without  any  transition,  he  went  on  :  *  Well,  we  others  may 
have  a  right  to  run  down  Rougon,  but  Kahn,  in  my  opinion, 
ought  to  remain  dumb.  I  don't  like  heartless  people.  Just 
now  I  kept  from  saying  anything,  but  in  a  cafe  where  I  was 
this  afternoon  it  was  openly  said  that  Rougon  was  falling 
through  having  lent  his  name  to  that  swindling  railway  line 
from  Niort  to  Angers.  A  man  ought  not  to  make  such  a 
blunder  as  that !  To  think  of  that  big  fat  imbecile  firing 
mines  and  delivering  speeches  a  mile  long,  and  even  trying  to 
make  the  Emperor  responsible  for  the  success  of  the  line  ! 
Ah  !  it's  Kahn,  my  good  friends,  who's  made  a  mess  of  it  for 
all  of  us  !     Don't  you  agree  with  me,  Bejuin  ?  ' 

M.  Bejuin  briskly  nodded  his  head.  He  had  already 
agi'eed  with  Madame  Correur  and  M.  Kahn.  Meanwhile, 
Clorinde,  still  reclining  on  the  couch,  was  amusing  herself 
with  biting  the  tassel  of  her  girdle,  which  she  kept  drawing 
over  her  face,  as  though  she  wanted  to  tickle  herself.  Her 
eyes  were  wide  open  and  smiling  at  the  ceiling. 

'  Hush  ! '  she  said,  all  at  once. 

M.  Kahn  was  just  coming  back,  biting  off  the  end  of  a 
cigar  between  his  teeth.      He  lighted  it  and  blew  out  two 


DEFECTION  299 

or  three  big  puffs  of  smoke,  for  smoking  was  allowed  in 
Clorinde's  bedroom.  Then,  resuming  the  previous  conversa- 
tion, he  said  :  '  Well,  if  Rougon  asserts  that  he  has  weakened 
his  power  by  serving  us,  I  can  truthfully  declare  that  we  have 
been  dreadfully  compromised  by  his  patronage.  lie  has  suoh 
a  rough,  brutal  way  of  pushing  one  forward  that  it's  no 
wonder  if  one  breaks  one's  nose  against  a  wall.  However,  as 
a  result  of  all  these  violent  ways  of  his,  he's  now  tumbling 
down  again.  For  my  part,  I  feel  no  desire  to  help  to  pick 
him  up  any  more.  If  a  man  can't  preserve  his  own  credit, 
there  must  be  something  wrong  with  him.  I  tell  you  that  he 
is  seriously  compromising  us.  I  have  got  heavy  enough 
responsibilities  as  it  is,  and  I  give  him  up.' 

While  saying  this,  however,  M.  Kahn  spoke  hesitatingly, 
and  his  voice  grew  faint.  Madame  Correur  and  the  colonel 
bent  their  heads  to  escape  the  necessity  of  declaring  them- 
selves in  the  same  peremptory  fashion.  In  spite  of  every- 
thing, Rougon  was  still  in  office,  and  before  abandoning  him 
they  wanted  to  secure  some  other  powerful  patron. 

'  The  fat  man  isn't  everybody,'  said  Clorinde  carelessly. 

At  this  they  all  looked  at  her,  hoping  that  she  was  going 
to  give  them  some  formal  promise.  But  she  made  a  little 
gesture,  as  though  to  bid  them  have  patience.  This  tacit 
hint  of  some  new  patronage  which  would  shower  benefits 
upon  them  was  really  the  mainspring  of  their  assiduous 
attendance  at  the  young  woman's  Sundays  and  Thursdays. 
Among  the  strong  odours  of  her  room  they  scented  a  coming 
triumph  ;  and,  believing  that  they  had  exhausted  Rougon  in 
obtaining  the  satisfaction  of  their  early  desires,  they  looked 
forward  to  the  advent  of  some  new  power  that  should  realise 
their  more  recent  dreams,  which  were  far  greater  and  more 
numerous  than  the  others  had  been. 

However,  Clorinde  at  last  raised  herself  up  from  her 
pillows,  and,  bending  towards  Pozzo,  she  blew  into  his  neck, 
laughing  loudly  as  she  did  so,  as  though  thrilled  with  some 
wild  impulse  of  merriment.  When  she  felt  pleased  she  often 
gave  way  to  some  such  outburst  of  childish  gaiety.  Pozzo, 
whose  hand  seemed  to  have  gone  to  sleep  on  his  guitar,  threw 
back  his  picturesque  Italian  head  and  showed  his  white  teeth 
when  he  was  thus  roused,  but  Clorinde  went  on  laughing  and 
blowing  with  such  force  that  at  last  he  begged  for  mercy. 
Then,  when  she  had  scolded  him  in  Italian,  she  turned 
towards  Madame   Correur.     '  He  must  sing   to  us,  mustn't 


300  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

he  ? '  she  said.     '  If  he  will  sing  I  won't  hlow  any  more.     He 
has  composed  a  very  pretty  song.     You  will  like  it.' 

They  all  asked  to  hear  the  song,  and  Pozzo  began  to 
finger  his  guitar  again.  Then  he  sang,  keeping  his  eyes  fixed 
upon  Clorinde  all  the  time.  The  song  was  hke  a  passionate 
murmur  accompanied  by  short  soft  notes.  The  tremulous 
Italian  words  could  not  be  distinguished ;  however,  at  the 
last  couplet,  which  seemed  to  be  expressive  of  the  pains  of 
love,  Pozzo,  while  assuming  a  very  mournful  tone,  began  to 
smile  with  an  expression  of  mingled  joy  and  despair.  When 
he  finished,  his  audience  enthusiastically  applauded  him. 
Why  didn't  he  publish  those  charming  songs  of  his?  they 
asked.  Surely  his  position  in  the  diplomatic  service  could  be 
no  impediment. 

'  I  once  knew  a  captain  who  brought  out  a  comic  opera,' 
said  Colonel  Jobelin  ;  '  and  nobody  in  the  regiment  thought 
any  the  worse  of  him  for  it.' 

'  Ah,  but  in  the  diplomatic  service '  murmured  Madame 

Correur,  shaking  her  head. 

'  Oh,  I  think  you  are  wrong  there,'  remarked  M.  Kahn. 
'  Diplomatists  are  like  other  men,  and  many  of  them  cultivate 
the  social  arts.' 

However,  Clorinde  touched  Pozzo  lightly  with  her  foot 
and  whispered  something  to  him,  and  thereupon  the  young 
man  rose,  laid  his  guitar  on  a  heap  of  clothes,  and  left  the 
room.  When  he  returned,  some  five  minutes  afterwards,  he 
was  followed  by  Antonia,  carrying  a  tray  on  which  were  a 
water-bottle  and  some  glasses.  Pozzo  himself  held  a  sugar- 
basin  for  which  there  was  no  room  on  the  tray.  Nothing 
stronger  than  sugared  water  was  ever  drunk  at  Clorinde's 
receptions,  and  her  friends  knew  that  she  was  well  pleased  if 
they  simply  took  the  water  by  itself. 

'  Hallo !  what's  that  ?  '  she  suddenly  exclaimed,  turning 
towards  the  dressing-room,  where  a  door  could  be  heard 
creaking.  Then,  as  though  remembering,  she  added  :  '  Oh, 
it's  my  mother  !     She's  been  in  bed.' 

It  was,  indeed.  Countess  Balbi  ;  who  made  her  appearance 
in  a  black  woollen  dressing-grown,  with  a  piece  of  lace  tied 
round  her  head.  Flaminio,  the  big  footman  with  the  long 
beard  and  brigand's  face,  was  supporting  her  from  behind, 
almost  carrying  her,  in  fact,  in  his  arms.  However,  she  did 
not  appear  to  have  aged,  her  pale  face  still  smiled  with  the 
smile  of  one  who  had  been  a  queen  of  beauty. 


DEFECTION  301 

'  Wait  a  moment,  mother  ! '  exclaimed  Clorinde, '  I'll  give 
you  this  couch.  I'll  lie  down  on  the  bed.  I'm  not  feeling 
very  well.  I've  got  an  insect  inside  me  ;  and  it's  begun  to 
bite  me  again.' 

There  was  a  general  movement.  Pozzo  and  Madame 
Correur  assisted  the  young  woman  to  her  bed.  They  had  to 
turn  down  the  coverings,  and  flatten  the  pillows.  Countess 
Balbi,  meantime,  lay  down  on  the  couch  while  Flaminio 
remained  standing  behind  her,  black  and  silent,  though  glar- 
ing ferociously  at  the  visitors. 

'  You  don't  mind  my  lying  down,  do  you  ?  '  said  Clorinde 
to  the  others.  '  I  feel  so  much  better  when  I'm  lying  down. 
I'm  not  going  to  send  you  away.  You  must  stay  where  you 
are.' 

She  was  stretched  out  at  full  length,  her  elbow  resting  on 
a  pillow,  while  her  spreading  black  blouse  looked  like  a  stream 
of  ink  upon  the  white  counterpane.  Nobody  had  had  any  idea 
of  going  away.  Madame  Correur  was  talking  in  a  whisper  to 
Pozzo  about  Clorinde's  superb  figure,  while  M.  Kahn, 
M.  Bejuin  and  the  colonel  paid  their  respects  to  the  Countess, 
who  nodded  her  head  and  smiled.  Every  now  and  then, 
without  turning  round,  she  would  call  in  a  soft  voice : 
'  Flaminio  !  ' 

The  tall  footman  knew  what  she  meant,  and  at  once  raised 
a  cushion  or  brought  a  stool,  or  took  a  scent  bottle  from  his 
pocket,  retaining,  however,  in  all  he  did  the  ferocious  air  of  a 
brigand  in  evening  dress. 

All  at  once  Auguste  happened  to  have  an  accident.  After 
prowling  through  the  three  rooms,  stopping  to  examine  all 
the  garments  that  were  lying  about,  he  had  felt  a  little  bored, 
and  to  amuse  himself  had  begun  to  drink  glassful  after  glassful 
of  sugared-water.  Clorinde  kept  her  eye  upon  him,  watching 
the  sugar-basin  gradually  empty,  when  suddenly  the  youth 
broke  his  glass,  against  the  side  of  which  he  had  been  press- 
ing his  spoon  too  violently. 

*  It's  all  because  he  puts  too  much  sugar  in  !  '  cried 
Clorinde. 

'  Dunderhead  !  '  exclaimed  the  colonel.  '  You  can't  even 
drink  water  rationally  !  One  big  glassful  every  morning  and 
every  evening,  that's  the  way.  There  is  nothing  better.  It 
keeps  away  all  diseases.' 

Fortunately  there  was  a  diversion,  for  M.  Bouchard  now 
made  his  appearance.     It  was  past  ten  o'clock.      He    had 


30  2  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

dined  in  town,  which  had  caused  him  to  be  a  HtLle  late.  He 
seemed  surprised  at  not  finding  his  wife  there.  '  Monsieur 
d'Escorailles  said  he  would  bring  her,'  he  remarked,  'and  I 
promised  to  call  for  her  and  take  her  home.'  Half  an  hour 
later  Madame  Bouchard  at  length  arrived,  accompanied  by  M. 
d'Escorailles  and  M.  La  Rouquette.  After  a  coolness  which 
had  lasted  a  year,  the  young  Marquis  had  returned  to  his 
allegiance  to  the  pretty  blonde.  He  and  she,  it  appeared,  had 
met  M.  La  Eouquette  as  they  were  driving  in  an  open  cab  to 
the  Delestangs',  and  thereupon  they  had  all  three  gone  on  to 
the  Bois  together,  laughing  loudly  and  indulging  in  somewhat 
broad  pleasantries  ;  indeed,  M.  d'Escorailles  had  even  fancied 
for  a  moment  that  the  deputy's  arm  was  behind  Madame 
Bouchard's  waist.  The  trio  brought  a  whiff  of  gaiety  into 
Clorinde's  room,  something  of  the  fresh  air  of  the  dark  avenues 
of  the  Bois  along  which  they  had  just  passed  so  merrily. 

'  Yes,  we've  been  to  the  lake,'  said  M.  La  Rouquette. 
'  They  insisted  upon  taking  me  off.  I  was  quietly  going 
home  to  work.' 

Then  he  suddenly  became  serious.  During  the  previous 
session  he  had  made  a  speech  upon  a  finaiicial  question  after 
a  whole  month's  special  study  of  his  subject,  and  since  then 
he  had  affected  a  very  steady-going  air,  as  though  he  had 
buried  all  his  youthful  frivolities. 

'  By  the  way,'  began  Kahn,  taking  him  to  the  end  of  the 
room,  '  you  who  are  on  such  good  terms  with  Marsy ' 

Then  he  continued  in  such  a  low  tone  that  notbing  further 
could  be  heard.  Pretty  Madame  Bouchard,  who  had  bowed 
to  the  Countess,  was  now  sitting  beside  the  bed,  holding 
Clorinde's  hand,  and  sympathising  with  her  in  a  fluty  voice. 
Meantime,  M.  Bouchard,  who  remained  standing  in  a  prim  and 
dignified  attitude,  suddenly  began  to  speak  aloud  amidst  all 
the  surrounding  buzz  of  conversation,  '  I  have  something  to 
tell  you,'  he  said,  '  our  fat  man  is  a  nice  sort  of  fellow.' 

Before  explaining  himself,  however,  he  began  to  rail  at 
Eougon  as  the  others  had  done.  It  was  now  impossible,  he 
said,  to  ask  him  for  anything,  for  he  could  not  even  return  a 
polite  answer ;  and  he,  M.  Bouchard,  considered  that  polite- 
ness came  before  everything.  Then  as  they  continued  to  ask 
him  what  Rougon  had  done,  he  at  last  told  them. 

'I  can't  bear  injustice,'  said  he.  'I  spoke  to  him  about 
one  of  the  clerks  in  my  division.  Georges  Duchesne  ;  you  know 
him,  don't  you  ?  You've  met  him  at  my  house.  Well,  lie's  a 
young  fellow  of  sterling  merit,  and  we  treat  him  as  though 


DEFECTION  303 

be  were  our  own  son.  My  wife  is  very  fond  of  him,  as  he 
comes  from  the  same  part  of  the  comitry  as  herself.  Well, 
we  had  lately  been  scheming  to  get  Duchesne  appointed 
assistant  bead  clerk.  It  was  my  idea,  but  you  approved  of  it, 
didn't  you,  Adele  ?  ' 

Madame  Bouchard  looked  embarrassed,  and  bent  yet  more 
closely  to  Clorinde  to  escape  the  eyes  of  M.  d'Escorailles, 
which  she  felt  were  fixed  on  her. 

'  Well,'  continued  the  bead  of  department,  '  how  do  you 
think  the  fat  man  received  my  request  ?  He  glared  at  me 
in  his  offensive  way  for  a  full  minute,  and  then  he  bluntly 
refused  to  make  the  appointment.  When  I  pressed  the 
matter,  be  said  to  me  with  a  smile  :  "  Monsieur  Bouchard, 
don't  press  your  request ;  you  distress  me.  There  are  very 
grave  reasons  why  I  cannot  accede  to  it."  I  couldn't  get 
him  to  say  anotber  word.  He  saw,  however,  that  I  was 
very  much  put  out,  and  so  he  begged  me  to  remember  him 
kindly  to  my  wife.' 

That  very  evening,  as  it  happened,  Madame  Bouchard 
bad  had  a  rather  lively  passage  of  arms  with  M.  d'Escorailles 
on  the  subject  of  this  same  Georges  Duchesne.  '  Oh  well !  ' 
she  now  deemed  it  ad\isable  to  say  in  a  rather  petulant  voice, 
'  Monsieur  Duchesne  will  have  to  wait.  I  don't  know  that 
we  need  trcu'de  ourselves  about  him,' 

But  her  liusband  seemed  quite  determined.  '  No,  no,' 
he  returned  ;  '  he  deserves  to  be  assistant  head  clerk,  and  he 
shall  be!  My  credit  is  involved.  Oh,  I  really  can't  stand 
injustice  !  ' 

He  grew  so  excited  that  some  of  the  others  had  to  soothe 
him.  Clorinde,  who  appeared  somewhat  absent-minded, 
was  in  reality  trying  to  hear  the  conversation  between 
M.  Kahn  and  M.  La  Bonquette,  who  had  ensconced  them- 
selves at  the  foot  of  her  bed.  The  former  was  explaining  the 
state  of  his  affairs.  His  great  undertaking  of  a  railway  line 
between  Niort  and  Angers  was  in  a  very  critical  position. 
The  shares  had  at  first  been  sold  on  the  Bourse  at  a  pre- 
mium of  eighty  francs,  before  a  single  stroke  of  work  had 
been  done.  Relying  upon  his  much-talked-of  Engiisb  com- 
pany, M.  Kahn  bad  indulged  in  the  most  i-eckless  speculation, 
and  now  the  whole  business  was  on  the  verge  of  bankruptcy, 
and  must  collapse  unless  be  could  at  once  obtain  some 
powerful  support. 

*  Some  time  ago,'  be  said,  '  Marsy  offered  to  bring  about 
a  sale  of  the  concern  to  the  Western  Company.     For  myself 


304  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

I'm  quite  ready  to  enter  into  negotiations.  We  should  only- 
want  to  get  an  Act  passed.' 

Clorinde  heard  this,  and  thereupon  quietly  beckoned  to 
the  two  men,  who  drew  near  and  began  a  long  conversation 
with  her.  Marsy,  said  the  young  woman,  bore  no  spite. 
She  would  speak  to  him  on  the  subject,  and  would  offer  him 
the  million  francs  for  which  he  had  asked,  the  previous  year, 
as  his  price  for  supporting  the  grant.  His  position  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Corps  Legislatif  would  make  it  an  easy  matter 
for  him  to  get  the  necessary  Act  passed. 

'  Marsy's  the  only  man  who's  of  any  good  in  matters  of 
this  kind,'  she  added  with  a  smile.  '  If  you  try  to  manage 
without  him,  you  always  have  to  call  him  in  later  on  to  patch 
up  the  broken  pieces.' 

However,  all  the  other  visitors  were  now  speaking  at 
once,  and  the  room  was  full  of  noise.  Madame  Correur  was 
telling  Madame  Bouchard  of  her  latest  desire,  which  was  to 
go  to  Coulonges  and  die  there  in  the  family  home.  She 
grew  quite  pathetic  as  she  spoke  of  the  neighbourhood  where 
she  had  been  born,  and  she  declared  that  she  would  compel 
Madame  Martineau  to  give  up  the  house  which  was  full  of 
the  associations  of  her  childhood.  IMeantime,  as  was  fatal, 
the  men  were  again  harping  on  the  subject  of  Kougon. 
M.  d'Escorailles  was  describing  the  anger  of  his  father  and 
mother,  who  had  written  to  him  upon  learning  how  Rougon 
was  abusing  his  power,  bidding  him  break  with  the  minister 
and  return  to  the  Council  of  State.  The  colonel,  on  his  side, 
related  how  the  fat  man  had  flatly  refused  to  ask  the  Emperor 
for  a  post  for  him  in  the  imperial  palaces.  Even  M.  Bejuin 
complained  that  his  Majesty  had  never  visited  the  cut-glass 
works  at  Saint  Florent  upon  the  occasion  of  his  journey  to 
Bourges,  although  Rougon  had  solemnly  promised  to  obtain 
that  favour.  And  amidst  all  this  babel.  Countess  Balbi 
reclined  smiling,  on  her  couch,  looking  the  while  at  her  still 
plump  hands. 

'  Flaminio !  '  she  said,  softly.  Then  the  tall  footman 
took  a  little  tortoise-shell  box  full  of  mint  lozenges  out  of  his 
waistcoat  pocket,  and  the  Countess  crunched  these  lozenges 
with  an  air  of  quiet  enjoyment. 

It  was  nearly  midnight  when  Delestang  returned  home. 
When  they  saw  him  raise  the  hangings  of  the  doorway 
leading  to  the  boudoir,  they  all  became  silent  and  turned 
anxiously  towards  him.     But  he  let  the  curtain  fall  again ; 


DEFECTION  305 

there  was  no  one  with  him.     Then,  after  a  further  pause, 
the  visitors  broke  into  various  exclamations : 
'  Are  you  by  yourself  ? ' 

*  You  haven't  brought  him  with  you  then  ?  ' 

•  Have  you  lost  the  fat  man  on  the  way  ?  ' 

Truth  to  tell,  there  was  a  general  feeling  of  relief. 
Delestang  explained  that  Rougon  had  felt  very  tired  and  had 
left  him  at  the  corner  of  the  Rue  Marbeuf. 

'  And  a  good  thing,  too  ! '  exclaimed  Clorinde,  stretching 
herself  out  on  the  bed ;  '  he's  by  no  means  entertaining.' 

This  was  the  signal  for  a  fresh  outburst  of  complaint  and 
accusation.  Delestang  protested  and  tried  to  get  a  word  in  ; 
for  he  usually  made  a  pretence  of  defending  Rougon.  '  There 
is  no  doubt  that  he  might  have  acted  better  than  he  has 
done  towards  certain  of  his  friends,'  he  slowly  said  as  soon 
as  he  was  allowed  to  speak.  '  But,  in  spite  of  everything, 
he's  a  wonderfully  clever  fellow.  I  myself  shall  be  eternally 
grateful  to  him.' 

'  Grateful  for  what  ?  '  cried  M.  Kahn,  snappishly. 

'  For  all  that  he  has  done ' 

But  the  others  angrily  interrupted  him.  Rougon  had 
never  done  anything  for  him,  they  cried.  What  was  it  that 
he  supposed  Rougon  had  done  for  him  ? 

'  You  quite  surprise  me  !  '  said  the  colonel.  *  It  is  ridi- 
culous to  carry  modesty  to  that  extent.  You  don't  stand  in 
need  of  anyone's  help,  my  dear  friend.  You  have  succeeded 
through  your  own  merits.' 

Then  they  all  began  to  sound  Delestang' s  praises.  His 
model  farm  at  La  Chamade  was  something  unparalleled,  they 
asserted  ^  it  had  long  ago  proved  that  he  possessed  all  the 
qualifications  of  an  able  administrator  and  statesman.  He 
had  a  quick  eye,  a  clear  mind,  and  a  hand  that  was  energetic 
without  being  rough.  And  besides,  had  not  the  Emperor 
himself  manifested  the  greatest  appreciation  of  him  all  along  ? 
His  Majesty  and  himself  were  in  accord  upon  almost  every 
point. 

'  Pooh  ! '  M.  Kahn  ended  by  saying  ;  '  it  is  you  who  keep 
Rougon  up.  If  you  weren't  his  friend  and  didn't  support 
him  in  the  council,  he  would  have  come  to  grief  a  fortnight 
ago  ! ' 

Delestang,  however,  went  on  with  his  protestations.  He 
himself  might  indeed  be  of  some  service,  but  it  was  oidy 
right  to  give  everyone  his  due.     That  very  evening,  at  the 

X 


J 


06  HIS  EXCELLENCY 


Ministry  of  Justice,  in  discussing  a  very  complicated  financial 
question,  Rougon  had  given  proof  of  extraordinary  lucidity 
of  mind. 

'Oh  yes,  I  daresay,'  said  M.  La  Eouquette  scornfully; 
'  the  cunning  of  a  smart  attorney.' 

Clorinde  had  not  yet  opened  her  lips.  The  visitors  kept 
glancing  at  her  as  though  they  expected  her  to  say  something. 
But  for  some  time  she  rolled  her  head  on  her  pillow,  as  though 
she  were  trying  to  rub  the  nape  of  her  neck, 

'That's  right;  scold  him,'  she  said  at  last,  speaking  of 
her  husband,  though  not  mentioning  him  by  name.  '  He  will 
have  to  be  beaten  into  taking  his  real  place.' 

'  The  position  of  Minister  for  Agriculture  and  Commerce 
is  quite  a  secondary  one,'  remarked  M.  Kahn  in  order  to  pre- 
cipitate matters. 

This  was  touching  a  sore  spot.  Clorinde  was  annoyed  at 
her  husband  being  shelved  to  what  she  considered  a  minor 
post.  And  she  now  sharply  sprang  into  a  sitting  posture,  and 
let  fall  the  words  that  everyone  had  been  waiting  for :  '  He 
can  go  to  the  office  of  the  Interior  as  soon  as  ever  we  wish  it,' 
said  she. 

Delestang  tried  to  speak,  but  all  the  company  rushed  to- 
wards him  amid  an  outburst  of  delight.  Then  at  last  he 
seemed  to  give  in,  a  rosy  flush  suffused  his  cheeks,  his  hand- 
some face  fairly  beamed  with  pleasure.  Madame  Correur  and 
Madame  Bouchard  whispered  to  each  other  that  he  was  re- 
markably good  looking,  and  the  latter,  with  that  perverted 
taste  which  makes  some  women  admire  baldness,  cast  loving 
glances  at  his  bare  skull.  Then  M.  Kahn,  the  colonel  and 
the  others,  expressed  by  winks,  gestures  and  hasty  words  the 
high  estimate  which  they  set  upon  his  ability.  They  pros- 
trated themselves  before  the  feeblest  mind  of  the  whole 
coterie,  and  admired  one  another  in  his  person.  He,  at  any 
rate,  would  be  an  easy  and  docile  master,  and  would  never 
compromise  them.  They  could  set  him  up  as  a  god  Avith 
impunity,  free  from  all  fear  of  his  thunder-bolts. 

'  You  are  quite  fatiguing  him,'  at  last  exclaimed  pretty 
Madame  Bouchard  in  her  tender  voice. 

Fatiguing  him,  were  they  ?  At  this  there  was  a  general 
outburst  of  sympathy.  In  point  of  fact  Delestang  was 
looking  rather  pale  again,  and  his  eyes  had  a  sleepy  expres- 
sion. But  nothing  tries  a  man  like  brain-work,  the  visitors 
remarked  to  each  other  with  an  air  of  commiseration,  and  the 


DEFECTION  307 

poor  fellow  had  been  working  since  five  o'clock  that  morning  ! 
Then  they  gently  insisted  tliat  he  should  go  to  bed.  And  he 
obeyed  them  with  quiet  docility,  kissing  his  wife  on  the  fore- 
head and  then  quitting  the  room. 

It  was  now  one  o'clock,  and  the  guests  began  to  speak  of 
retiring,  whereupon  Clorinde  assured  them  that  she  was  by 
no  means  sleepy,  and  that  they  might  stay  on.  However,  no 
one  sat  down  again.  The  lamp  in  the  boudoir  had  just  gone 
out,  and  there  was  a  strong  smell  of  oil  in  the  room.  It  was 
with  difficulty  that  they  could  find  sundry  small  articles,  such 
as  Madame  Correur's  fan,  the  colonel's  stick,  and  Madame 
Bouchard's  bonnet.  Clorinde,  calmly  stretched  on  her  bed, 
stopped  Madame  Correur  just  as  the  latter  was  going  to  ring 
for  Anton  ia.  The  maid,  it  appeared,  always  went  to  bed  at 
eleven  o'clock.  Then  just  as  they  Avere  all  going  away,  the 
colonel  suddenly  bethought  himself  of  Auguste,  whom  he  had 
forgotten.  He  found  him  asleep  on  a  sofa  in  the  boudoir, 
with  his  head  resting  on  a  dress  which  he  had  rolled  up  to 
form  a  pillow  ;  and  the  others  scolded  him  for  not  having 
attended  to  the  lamp.  In  the  gloom  of  the  staircase,  where 
the  gas  was  turned  very  low,  Madame  Bouchard  gave  a  little 
scream.  She  had  twisted  her  foot,  she  said.  Finally,  as  the 
visitors  carefully  felt  their  way  with  the  aid  of  the  balusters, 
loud  peals  of  laughter  were  heard  upstairs ;  Pozzo  having 
lingered  after  the  others  had  gone. 

Every  Thursday  and  Sunday  the  friends  met  at  Clorinde's 
in  this  way ;  and  it  was  generally  rumoured  that  Madame 
Delestang  now  held  political  receptions.  It  was  said  that 
extremely  liberal  proclivities  were  aired  at  them,  and  that 
Eougon's  despotic  administration  was  vigorously  attacked.  The 
whole  band  indeed  had  now  begun  to  dream  of  a  sort  of  demo- 
cratic empire  in  which  every  public  liberty  would  gradually 
expand.  The  colonel,  in  his  leisure  moments,  drew  up  codes 
of  rules  for  trades-unions.  M.  Bejuin  spoke  of  building  cheap 
workmen's  houses  round  his  cut-glass  works  at  Saint  Florent, 
and  M.  Kahn  talked  to  Delestang  for  hours  at  a  time,  of  the 
democratic  part  that  the  Bonapartes  were  destined  to  play 
in  modern  society.  And  every  fresh  act  of  Eougon's  was 
hailed  with  indignant  protests,  with  expressions  of  patriotic 
alarm  lest  France  should  be  ruined  by  such  a  man.  One  day 
Delestang  started  the  theory  that  the  Emperor  was  the 
only  genuine  RepnbUcan  of  his  time.  The  coterie  put 
on  the  airs  of  a  religious  sect  tg  which  the  only  means  of 

x3 


o 


08  HIS  EXCELLENCY 


salvation  had  been  exclusively  entrusted,  and  its  members 
soon  openly  plotted  the  fat  man's  overthrow  for  the  good  of 
the  country. 

Clorinde,  however,  showed  no  inclination  for  haste.  They 
would  find  her  lying  at  full  length  on  one  or  other  of  the 
couches  in  her  rooms,  gazing  into  the  air  as  if  examining 
patches  of  the  ceiling.  And  while  the  others  prated  and 
walked  impatiently  about  the  room,  she  remained  silent  and 
impenetrable,  merely  glancing  at  them  every  now  and  then  as 
though  to  advise  them  to  be  more  guarded  in  their  language. 
She  now  went  out  less  than  she  had  done  previously,  and 
with  Antonia's  assistance  often  amused  herself  by  dress- 
ing as  a  man,  seemingly  to  while  away  her  time.  She  mani- 
fested, too,  a  sudden  affection  for  her  husband,  kissing  him 
before  company,  talking  caressingly  to  him,  and  showing  a 
lively  anxiety  about  his  health,  which  was  excellent.  It 
might  be  that  she  adopted  these  tactics  to  conceal  the  absolute 
sway  and  ceaseless  surveillance  which  she  maintained  over 
him.  She  directed  his  slightest  actions,  taught  him  his 
lesson  every  morning  like  a  school-boy  who  could  not  be 
trusted.  Delestang  on  his  side  evinced  the  most  docile  obe- 
dience. He  bowed,  smiled,  or  frowned,  said  black  was  white 
or  white  was  black,  just  as  she  pulled  the  string.  And  when- 
ever he  felt  that  he  wanted  winding  up  again,  he  voluntarily 
came  back  to  her  and  placed  himself  in  her  hands  to  be 
manipulated.  But  all  the  while  he  seemed  to  outsiders  to  be 
the  head  of  the  household. 

Clorinde  still  waited.  M.  Beulin-d'Orchere,  although  he 
avoided  coming  to  her  evening  receptions,  frequently  saw  her 
during  the  day.  He  complained  bitterly  of  his  brother-in-law, 
whom  he  accused  of  making  the  fortunes  of  a  crowd  of 
strangers,  while  he  seemed  to  think  nothing  of  his  own 
relatives.  It  was  entirely  Rougon's  doing,  he  asserted,  if  the 
Emperor  had  not  entrusted  the  seals  to  himself.  Rougonwas 
afraid  of  having  anyone  in  the  council  with  whom  he  might 
have  to  share  his  influence.  Clorinde  did  all  she  could  to 
whet  the  judge's  anger,  and  she  also  dropped  hints  of  her 
husband's  approaching  triumph ,  and  held  out  a  vague  hope  tnat 
the  rejected  one  might  be  included  in  the  new  ministry.  She 
was,  however,  really  making  use  of  Beulin-d'Orchere  to  find 
out  what  went  on  at  Rougon's  house.  With  feminine  vindic- 
tiveness  she  would  have  liked  to  see  the  great  man  unhappy 
in  his  domestic   relations,  and  accordingly  she  spurred  the 


DEFECTION  309 

judge  on  to  persuade  liis  sister  to  take  his  side  against  her 
husband.  He  tried  to  do  so,  no  doubt,  and  may  even  have 
voiced  his  regrets  respecting  a  marriage  from  which  he  had 
derived  no  benefit.  But  probably  his  words  had  no  efi'ect 
upon  Madame  Rougon's  quiet,  placid  nature.  To  Clorinde  he 
would  say  that  his  brother-in-law  had  seemed  very  nervous 
for  some  time  past,  and  he  would  even  hint  that  the  fitting 
time  for  his  overthrow  had  come.  Then  with  his  eyes  fixed  on 
the  young  woman,  but  with  the  amiable  way  of  one  who  in  all 
innocence  retails  the  gossip  of  society,  he  would  recount  a 
whole  series  of  Rougon's  characteristic  actions.  Why  did  she 
not  act,  if  she  were  really  mistress  of  the  situation  ?  he  seemed 
to  urge.  But  Clorinde  only  stretched  herself  out  the  more, 
and  put  on  the  air  of  one  who  is  kept  indoors  by  wet  weather, 
and  must  patiently  await  a  ray  of  sunshine. 

However,  at  the  Tuileries  the  young  woman's  influence 
was  certainly  increasing ;  and  courtiers  spoke  in  whispers  of 
his  Majesty's  strong  admiration  for  her.  At  the  balls  and 
official  receptions,  indeed,  everywhere  that  the  Emperor  met 
her,  he  was  always  hanging  about  her,  casting  sidelong 
glances  at  her  and  whispering  to  her  with  a  quiet  smile.  She 
on  her  side  was  playing  her  old  part,  the  part  she  had  played 
when  she  was  looking  for  a  husband,  putting  on  the  most 
enticing  airs,  behaving  with  a  semblance  of  easy  freedom,  but 
always  keeping  on  her  guard  and  making  her  escape  at  the 
critical  moment.  She  seemed,  indeed,  to  be  biding  her  time, 
waiting  for  the  hour  when  the  Emperor  would  be  unable 
to  refuse  her  any  request  that  she  might  make  of  him. 
Doubtless  she  wished  to  secure  the  triumph  of  some  long- 
planned  scheme. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  she  suddenly  began  to  manifest 
great  affection  for  ]\I.  de  Plouguern.  For  several  months 
there  had  been  a  coolness  between  them.  The  old  senator, 
who  had  been  most  constant  in  his  attendance  upon  her, 
coming  to  see  her  almost  every  morning  while  she  was 
dressing,  was  much  annoyed  one  day  at  bemg  refused 
admittance  while  she  was  engaged  with  her  toilette.  He 
thought  this  a  great  shame,  for  wasn't  he  her  godfather, 
he  asked,  and  hadn't  he  dandled  her  upon  his  knees  when  she 
was  quite  a  little  child  ?  However,  M.  de  Plouguern  urged 
all  this  in  vain.  ^Matters  ended  in  a  rupture,  and  whenever 
M.  Kahn  or  Colonel  Jobelin  happened  to  ask  the  young  woman 
about  the  old  senator,  she  would  somewhat  stiffly  reply :  '  I'm 


310  mS  EXCELLENCY 

told  that  he  is  growing  young  again.     But  I  never  see  him 
now.' 

This  lasted  for  a  time.  Then,  all  at  once  M.  de  Plouguern 
was  to  be  constantly  found  at  her  house.  He  wandered  about 
it  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  doing  Clorinde's  bidding  like  a  maid 
of  all  work  :  '  Godfather,  go  and  get  me  my  nail-file  !  '  she 
would  say,  '  It  is  in  the  drawer,  you  know — Godfather,  get  me 
the  sponge.' 

She  called  him  godfather  in  a  caressing,  affectionate 
manner.  On  his  side  he  now  frequently  spoke  of  Count 
Balbi,  and  gave  details  of  Clorinde's  birth.  He  asserted  that 
he  had  been  introduced  to  her  mother  but  a  short  time  before 
that  birth  ;  which  was  distinctly  false.  However,  the  relative 
positions  of  the  two  were  never  clearly  ascertained.  Nor  did 
people  learn  what  business  it  was  that  had  again  brought 
Clorinde  and  the  old  senator  together.  In  all  probability  he 
was  just  then  necessary  to  her  ;  she  had  some  part  for  him  to 
play  in  a  drama  of  which  she  was  constantly  dreaming.  She 
would  indeed  talk  to  him  in  obscure  terms  of  some  vague 
indefinite  event  which  was  very  slowly  approaching  consum- 
mation. And  on  his  side  he  seemed  to  be  calculating  com- 
binations like  a  chess-player,  though  he  generally  ended  by 
shaking  his  head  as  though  he  could  come  to  no  satisfactory 
conclusion. 

On  the  few  occasions  when  Rougon  came  to  see  Clorinde, 
she  affected  great  weariness  and  spoke  of  going  to  Italy  for 
three  months.  But  then  with  lowered  eyelids  she  would 
examine  him  with  a  sharp  gleaming  glance,  while  a  smile  of 
refined  cruelty  hardened  her  lips.  She  would  have  liked  to 
strangle  him  then  and  there  with  her  tapering  fingers,  but 
she  was  anxious  that  her  attack  should  prove  quite  eflective 
when  it  did  come  ;  and  this  long  wait  for  the  time  when  her 
nails  would  be  fully  grown  was  not  without  a  spice  of  pleasure 
to  her.  Rougon,  who  was  always  very  absent-minded,  shook 
hands  with  her  mechanically,  never  noticing  the  nervous  fever 
of  her  flesh.  He  even  fancied  that  she  had  given  up  her 
eccentricities,  and  complimented  her  upon  rendering  obedience 
to  her  husband.  '  You  are  now  nearly  all  that  I  wished  you 
to  be,'  he  said  to  her.  '  You  have  taken  the  right  course. 
Women  ought  to  remain  quietly  at  home.' 

'  Good  heavens  !  what  an  idiot  he  is ! '  she  exclaimed  with 
a  shrill  laugh  when  he  had  gone  away.  *  And  he  thinks  that 
it  is  the  women  who  are  the  idiots  I ' 


DEFECT  TON  %\\ 

At  last,  one  Sunday  evening  towards  ten  o'clock,  when  the 
whole  band  had  assembled  in  Clorinde's  bedroom,  M.  de 
Plouguern  came  in  with  a  triumphant  air :  '  Well,'  he  ex- 
claimed, trying  to  appear  extremely  indignant,  '  have  you 
heard  of  Rougon's  last  exploit  ?  This  time,  surely,  the 
measure  is  full ! ' 

They  all  eagerly  clustered  round  him.  No  one  had  heard 
of  anything. 

'  Ah  !  It  is  abominable  ! '  he  added,  excitedly  Avaving  his 
arm  in  the  air.  '  It  is  inconceivable  that  a  minister  could 
sink  to  such  depths  ! ' 

Then  he  entered  into  particulars.  When  the  Charbonnels 
had  gone  to  Faverolles  to  take  possession  of  their  cousin 
Chevassu's  property,  they  had  made  a  great  out-cry  about  the 
aUeged  disappearance  of  a  large  quantity  of  silver  plate. 
They  accused  the  woman  who  had  been  left  in  charge  of  the 
house,  a  very  pious  person,  of  having  stolen  it.  They  asserted 
that  this  miserable  creature,  upon  learning  the  decision  of  the 
Council  of  State,  had  conspired  with  the  Sisters  of  the  Holy 
Family  and  carried  to  their  convent  all  such  valuables  as  could 
easily  be  concealed.  Three  days  later  the  Charbonnels  dropped 
the  accusations  against  the  housekeeper  and  charged  the 
Sisters  themselves  with  having  ransacked  the  house.  This 
caused  a  terrible  scandal  in  the  town.  However,  the  com- 
missary of  police  still  refused  to  search  the  convent,  when 
Rougon,  after  receiving  a  letter  from  the  Charbonnels,  tele- 
graphed to  the  prefect  directing  him  to  order  a  strict  per- 
quisition at  once. 

'  Yes,  a  strict  perquisition,  those  were  the  words  in  the 
message,'  M.  de  Plouguern  said  in  conclusion,  '  And  then 
the  commissary  and  two  gendarmes  were  seen  ransacking  the 
convent.  They  were  there  for  five  hours.  The  gendarmes 
insisted  upon  poking  into  every  corner.  They  even  examined 
the  Sisters'  beds  to  see  if  the  missing  plate  were  under  the 
mattresses.' 

'  Oh  !  how  abominable  ! '  cried  Madame  Bouchard,  in 
disgust. 

'  He  must  be  entirely  destitute  of  the  slightest  idea  of 
religion  ! '  declared  the  colonel. 

'  Well,  what  can  you  expect  ?  '  asked  Madame  Correur. 
'  Rougon  has  never  conformed  with  the  requirements  of  faith. 
I  often  tried  to  reconcile  him  with  God,  but  always  failed  in 
my  efforts.' 


312  JUS  EXCELLENCY 

M.  Bouchard  and  M.  Bejuin  shook  their  heads  in  a  hope- 
less sort  of  way,  as  though  they  had  just  heard  of  some 
frightful  social  catastrophe  which  made  them  despair  of 
humanity  ;  while  M,  Kabn,  energetically  rubbing  his  fringe 
of  beard,  inquired :  '  Of  course  they  discovered  nothing  in  the 
convent  ? ' 

'Absolutely  nothing  ! '  replied  M.  de  Plouguern.  Then  he 
continued  hastily :  '  A  silver  sauce-pan,  I  think,  two  cups, 
and  a  cruet-stand,  mere  trifles,  presents  which  the  esteemed 
deceased,  an  old  man  of  extreme  piety,  had  given  to  the 
Sisters  in  acknowledgment  of  their  kind  attention  to  him 
during  his  long  illness.' 

'  Yes,  yes,  of  course  I '  said  the  others. 

The  old  senator  dwelt  no  further  on  that  subject ;  but  in 
a  very  deliberate  way,  accentuating  each  sentence  by  bringing 
one  hand  down  upon  the  other,  he  resumed  :  ♦  That,  however, 
is  not  the  important  point.  The  question  is  one  of  the 
respect  due  to  a  convent,  to  one  of  those  holy  houses  where 
the  virtues,  driven  from  our  impious  society,  have  sought 
refuge.  How  can  we  expect  the  masses  to  be  religious  when 
they  see  attacks  made  upon  religion  by  men  in  such  high 
positions  ?  Rougon  has  been  guilty  of  utter  sacrilege  in  this 
matter,  and  he  will  be  called  to  account  for  it.  All  the  decent 
minded  folks  in  Faverolles  are  bursting  with  indignation. 
Monseigneur  Rochart,  the  well-known  bishop,  who  has  always 
manifested  a  particular  affection  for  the  Sisters,  has  come  to 
Paris  to  demand  justice.  In  the  Senate,  too,  to-day  a  great 
deal  of  annoyance  was  shown,  and  there  was  some  talk  of 
raising  a  discussion  on  the  strength  of  a  few  details  which  I 
was  able  to  supply.     And  finally  the  Empress  herself ' 

Every  head  was  now  eagerly  craned  forward. 

*  Yes,  the  Empress  has  learnt  this  deplorable  story  from 
Madame  de  Llorentz,  who  heard  it  from  our  friend  La 
Rouquette,  to  whom  I  myself  told  it.  When  she  heard  it  her 
Majesty  exclaimed:  'Monsieur  Eougon  is  no  longer  worthy 
of  speaking  in  the  name  of  France  ! ' 

'  Quite  right ! '  said  all  the  others. 

All  through  that  Thursday  night  and  until  one  o'clock  the 
next  morning  nothing  else  was  talked  of.  Clorinde  had  not 
opened  her  mouth.  At  M.  de  Plouguern's  first  words  she  had 
lain  back  on  her  couch,  looking  a  little  pale  and  compressing 
her  hps.  Then,  unnoticed,  she  quickly  crossed  herself  three 
times,  as  though  thanking  heaven  for  having  at  last  granted 


DEFECTION  313 

her  a  long- entreated  tavour.  The  narrative  of  the  perquisition 
wrung  from  her  various  gestures  expressive  of  outraged  piety, 
and  gradually  she  flushed  quite  red.  Then,  gazing  up  towards 
the  dim  ceiling  she  became  absorbed  in  reverie. 

And  while  the  others  were  discussing  the  matter,  M.  de 
Plouguern  glided  to  the  young  woman's  side,  and  with  his  scep- 
tical snigger  softly  whispered  in  her  ear  :  *  He  has  insulted 
God  Almighty  1     He  is  done  for  1 ' 


XIII 

clorinde's  revenge 

During  the  ensuing  week,  Eougon  heard  a  growing  clamour 
rise  around  him.  Everything  else  might  have  been  forgiven  : 
his  abuse  of  power,  the  grasping  greed  of  his  band,  and  the 
choking  gi-ip  in  which  he  held  the  whole  country ;  but  to 
have  sent  gendarmes  to  poke  about  the  cells  of  the  Sisters 
was  so  monstrous  a  crime  that  the  ladies  of  the  Court  affected 
to  shudder  when  he  passed  them.  Then,  too,  Monseigneur 
Rochart  was  creating  a  terrible  commotion  throughout  the 
official  world,  and  it  was  said  that  he  had  even  complained  to 
the  Empress  herself  on  the  subject.  Moreover,  the  scandal 
was  doubtless  kept  alive  by  a  few  wily  individuals,  who  were 
bent  on  making  the  most  of  it ;  for  orders  and  suggestions 
circulated,  and  the  same  complaints  were  raised  at  once  in 
every  quarter.  Amidst  all  these  furious  attacks,  Rougon  at 
first  maintained  a  perfectly  serene  and  smiling  demeanour. 
He  shrugged  his  broad  shoulders  and  spoke  scoffingly  of  the 
whole  matter.  At' an  evening  reception  at  the  Ministry  of 
Justice  he  even  remarked :  *  By  the  way,  I  never  told  yoi; 
that  they  found  a  priest  hidden  in  the  convent.'  However, 
when  this  sally  circulated  there  was  a  fresh  outburst  of  anger, 
and  then  he  on  his  side  at  last  became  impassioned.  People 
were  making  him  quite  sick  with  all  their  foolish  talk,  he 
said ;  the  Sisters  were  certainly  thieves,  for  silver  cups  and 
saucepans  had  been  discovered  in  their  possession.  And  he 
actually  showed  an  inclination  to  take  further  steps  in  the 
matter,  made  inquiries,  and  threatened  to  overwhelm  the 
whole  clergy  of  Faverolles  with  confusion  in  the  law-courts. 
Early  one  morning,  however,  the  Charbonnels  presented 


314  IJIS  EXCELLENCY 

themselves  before  him ;  at  which  he  was  much  astonishecl, 
for  he  did  not  know  that  they  were  even  in  Paris.  As  soon 
as  he  saw  them,  he  exclaimed  that  matters  were  proceeding 
most  satisfactorily,  and  that  he  had  sent  instructions  to  the 
prefect  to  compel  the  public  prosecutor  to  take  active  steps. 
But  at  this  M.  Charbonnel  assumed  an  expression  of  conster- 
nation, and  ]\Iadame  Charbonnel  replied  :  '  No,  no  !  we  don't 
want  that !  You  have  gone  too  far,  Monsieur  Eougon.  You 
have  quite  misunderstood  us.' 

Then  they  both  began  to  sing  the  praises  of  the  Sisters  of 
the  Holy  Family,  who  were  extremely  good  women,  they 
said  ;  though  they  themselves  had  for  a  moment  gone  to  law 
against  them,  they  had  never  ventured  so  far  as  to  accuse 
them  of  anything  base.  Such  a  charge  would  have  produced 
the  greatest  amazement  in  Faverolles,  where  everyone  in 
society  held  the  Sisters  in  such  high  esteem. 

'You  will  do  us  the  greatest  injury.  Monsieur  Rougon,' 
Madame  Charbonnel  said,  in  conclusion,  '  if  you  continue  to 
show  such  violence  towards  religion.  We  have  come  to  pray 
you  to  desist  from  further  action.  Down  yonder  people  don't 
understand  the  real  state  of  affairs,  but  think  that  it  is  we 
who  are  hounding  you  on  ;  so,  if  you  don't  stop,  they  will  end 
by  stoning  us.  .  .  .  We  have  made  a  handsome  present  to 
the  convent,  an  ivory  crucifix,  which  used  to  hang  at  the  foot 
of  our  poor  cousin's  bed.' 

'  Well,  we've  warned  you  now,'  added  M.  Charbonnel, 
'  and  the  responsibility  rests  with  you.  We  have  nothing 
further  to  do  with  the  business.' 

Rougon  let  them  talk  on.  They  seemed  to  be  very  much 
displeased  with  him,  and  gradually  raised  their  voices  in 
indignation.  As  the  minister  looked  at  them  he  felt  a  slight 
chill  and  sudden  lassitude,  as  though  some  portion  of  his 
strength  had  again  been  ravished  from  him.  However,  he 
made  no  attempt  to  discuss  the  subject,  but  dismissed  his 
visitors,  promising  that  he  would  take  no  farther  steps  in  the 
affair ;  and,  indeed,  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  he  let  the 
whole  matter  die  out 

During  the  last  few  days  his  name  had  been  indirectly 
mixed  up  in  another  scandal.  A  frightful  tragedy  had  taken 
place  at  Coulonges.  Du  Poizat,  obstinately  intent  upon 
getting  the  better  of  his  father,  had  again  one  morning 
knocked  at  the  old  miser's  door.  Five  minutes  afterwards 
the  neighbours  heard  the  sound  of  gun-shots  in  the  house, 


CLORINDES  REVENGE  315 

accompanied  by  fearful  shrieks.  When  they  made  their  way 
inside,  they  found  the  old  man  stretched  at  the  foot  of  the 
staircase  with  his  head  split  open.  Two  discharged  guns 
were  lying  on  the  hall  floor,  and  Du  Poizat  told  them,  with  a 
livid  face,  that  his  father,  upon  seeing  him  advance  towards 
the  staircase,  had  suddenly  shouted,  '  Thieves  ! '  as  though  he 
were  mad,  and  had  fired  upon  him  twice,  almost  touching 
him  with  the  muzzle  of  his  gun.  In  proof  of  this,  he  even 
showed  them  a  bullet- hole  in  his  hat.  However,  said  he, 
just  as  his  father  was  advancing  still  nearer,  he  had  fallen 
and  broken  his  skull  against  the  bottom  step.  This  tragical 
death,  this  mysterious,  unwitnessed  drama,  had  given  rise  to 
the  most  unpleasant  rumours  throughout  the  department. 
The  doctors  said  it  was  clear  that  the  old  man  had  died  of 
an  attack  of  apoplexy.  Nevertheless,  the  prefect's  enemies 
insinuated  that  he  must  have  given  his  father  a  push,  and 
the  number  of  these  enemies  increased  day  by  day,  owing  to 
the  harshness  of  his  rule,  which  oppressed  Niort  as  with  a 
reign  of  terror.  Stern  and  pale,  with  his  teeth  clenched  and 
his  hands  twitching,  Du  Poizat  had  to  check  the  gossips  on 
their  doorsteps  with  a  glance  from  his  fierce  grey  eyes  as  he 
passed  along  the  streets. 

However,  another  misfortune  befell  Lim.  He  was  obliged 
to  remove  Gilquin,  who  had  compromised  himself  by  taking  a 
bribe  to  procure  a  conscript  exemption  from  the  service.  It 
was  his  wont  to  promise  exemption  to  peasants'  sons  on  being 
paid  a  hundred  francs  a  head.  All  that  Du  Poizat  could  do 
for  Gilquin  in  the  matter  was  to  save  him  from  prosecution 
and  then  disown  him.  So  far  the  sub-prefect  had  relied 
entirely  upon  Rougon,  and  had  tried  to  make  him  more  and 
more  responsible  for  every  matter  that  went  wrong.  Now, 
however,  he  probably  divined  something  of  the  minister's 
critical  position,  for  he  came  to  Paris  without  giving  him  any 
intimation  of  his  intention  to  do  so.  He  felt  his  own  position 
to  be  very  much  shaken,  and,  fearing  the  collapse  of  the 
power  which  he  had  so  largely  helped  to  ruin,  he  was  already 
on  the  look-out  for  the  support  of  some  influential  hand.  He 
contemplated  asking  permission  to  change  his  prefecture  in 
order  to  escape  certain  dismissal.  Indeed,  since  his  father's 
death  and  Gilquin's  knavery,  Niort  was  becoming  quite  im- 
possible for  him. 

'  I  just  met  Monsieur  Du  Poizat  in  the  Faubourg  Saint 
Honore,'  Clorinde   mischievously  said   to   the    minister  one 


3i6  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

day.  '  Aren't  you  good  friends  now  ?  He  seems  very  bitter 
against  you.' 

Rougon  avoided  making  any  reply.  After  being  compelled 
to  refuse  several  favours  to  the  prefect,  be  bad  become  con- 
scious of  increasing  coldness  between  tbem,  and  they  now 
simply  confined  themselves  to  official  intercourse.  The  deser- 
tion was  becoming  general.  Even  Madame  Correur  bad 
abandoned  Rougon,  On  certain  evenings  be  again  experi- 
enced that  feeling  of  loneliness  which  he  had  formerly  felt  in 
the  Rue  Marbeuf  when  his  friends  were  doubting  his  star.  At 
the  close  of  bis  busy  days,  amidst  the  crowd  of  visitors  who 
besieged  his  drawing-room,  he  felt  alone  and  lost  and  heart- 
broken, because  his  old  familiar  friends  were  not  there.  And 
he  once  more  began  to  feel  an  overwhelming  craving  for  the 
continuous  praises  of  the  colonel  and  M.  Bouchard,  for  all  the 
vitalising  warmth  with  which  his  little  court  had  once  encom- 
passed him.  He  even  regretted  M.  Bejuin's  silence.  And  so 
he  made  an  attempt  to  win  his  old  associates  back  again,  by 
showing  himself  very  pleasant  and  amiable,  writing  to  tbem 
and  even  venturing  to  call  on  tbem.  But  the  ties  were  broken, 
and  he  could  never  succeed  in  getting  them  all  around  him. 
If  he  contrived  to  piece  up  the  links  at  one  end  of  the  chain, 
some  mischance  kept  those  at  the  other  end  broken  ;  the  chain 
remained  imperfect  in  spite  of  every  endeavour ;  some  of  bis 
old  friends  were  invariably  absent.  At  last  they  all  abandoned 
him.  This  was  the  death-agony  of  his  power.  He,  strong  as 
he  was,  was  bound  to  those  foolish  weaklings  by  the  long 
labour  of  their  common  fortune  ;  and,  as  each  deserted  him, 
a  piece  of  his  being  seemed  to  be  ravished  away.  His  strength 
and  abilities  remained  as  it  were  useless  in  this  lessening  of 
his  importance  ;  his  big  fists  only  struck  the  empty  air.  On 
the  day  when  his  shadow  alone  showed  in  the  sunshine  and 
he  could  no  longer  add  to  it  by  an  abuse  of  power  and  patron- 
age, it  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  held  but  little  room  in  the 
world  ;  and  he  began  to  dream  of  a  new  incarnation,  a  resur- 
rection in  the  shape  of  some  Jupiter  Tonans,  with  no  band  at 
his  feet,  but  ruling  by  the  sole  power  of  his  voice. 

However,  Rougon  did  not  yet  feel  that  his  position  was 
seriously  threatened.  He  treated  with  disdain  the  bites  that 
scarcely  touched  his  heels.  He  went  on  governing  with  stern 
decision,  unpopular  and  solitary.  His  great  reliance  was  on 
the  Emperor.  His  only  weakness  was  his  credulity.  Each 
time  that  he  saw  bis  Majesty  he  found  him  kindly  disposed 


CLORINDES  REVENGE  317 

and  amiable,  ever  preserving  his  impenetrable  smile  ;  and  the 
Emperor  invariably  renewed  his  expressions  of  confidence, 
and  repeated  the  instructions  which  he  had  so  frequently 
given  before.  This  seemed  quite  sufficient  to  Rougon.  His 
sovereign  could  have  no  thought  of  sacrificing  him. 

His  feeling  of  security  led  him  to  venture  on  a  deep  stroke 
of  policy.  To  silence  his  enemies  and  place  his  authority  on 
a  firmer  footing  than  ever,  he  sent  in  his  resignation  couched 
in  the  most  dignified  terms.  He  spoke  of  the  complaints  which 
were  being  circulated  against  him,  and  asserted  that  he  had 
strictly  obeyed  the  Emperor's  commands,  but  at  the  same 
time  he  felt  the  need  of  his  Majesty's  undoubted  approval 
before  further  continuing  his  labours  for  the  public  weal. 
Moreover,  he  undisguisingly  championed  a  stern  policy,  posed 
as  the  representative  of  merciless  repression.  The  Court  was 
at  Fontainebleau  at  the  time,  and  the  resignation  having  been 
despatched,  Rougon  awaited  the  result  with  the  confidence  of 
a  cool  gamester.  All  the  recent  scandals,  the  tragedy  at 
Coulonges,  the  perquisition  at  the  convent  of  the  Sisters  of 
the  Holy  Family,  would  be  blotted  out,  he  thought.  At  any 
rate,  if  he  were  destined  to  fall,  he  wished  to  fall  boldly  like 
the  strong  man  he  was. 

On  the  day  when  the  minister's  fate  was  to  be  decided,  it 
so  happened  that  a  bazaar  was  held  at  the  Orangery  in  the 
Tuileries  gardens  in  support  of  an  orphanage  which  the 
Empress  patronised.  All  the  palace  circle  and  the  high 
officials  would  certainly  attend  out  of  respect  for  their 
Majesties.  And  Rougon  resolved  that  he  also  would  go  and 
show  them  his  unruffled  face.  It  was  quite  a  piece  of  bravado, 
this  idea  of  boldly  confronting  the  people  who  cast  furtive 
glances  at  him,  of  thus  exhibiting  his  contemptuous  unconcern 
amidst  their  hostile  whispers.  Towards  three  o'clock,  while 
he  was  giving  a  final  order  to  his  chief  subordinate,  his  valec 
came  to  tell  him  that  a  lady  and  gentleman  particularly  wished 
to  see  him  in  his  private  rooms.  The  card  which  the  servant 
brought  bore  the  names  of  the  Marquis  and  Marchioness 
d'Escorailles. 

The  two  old  people,  whom  the  valet,  deceived  by  their 
almost  shabby  appearance,  had  left  in  the  dining-room,  rose 
ceremoniously  when  Rougon  appeared.  He  hastened  to  lead 
them  into  the  drawing-room,  feeling  some  emotion  at  their 
presence  and  also  a  thrill  of  disquietude.  However,  he  spoke 
of  their  arrival  in  Paris  as  a,n  unexpected  pleasure,  and  tried 


o 


18  HIS  EXCELLENCY 


to  appear  as  amiable  as  possible.  But  the  Marquis  and  his 
wife  remained  cold  and  stift"  and  sullen. 

'Monsieur,'  at  length  said  the  Marquis,  '  you  will  excuse, 
I  hoj)e,  the  step  we  have  considered  it  necessary  to  take.  It 
concerns  our  son  Jules.  We  wish  him  to  retire  from  the 
administration ;  we  ask  you  to  keep  him  no  longer  about 
you.'  Then,  as  the  minister  looked  at  him  with  extreme 
surprise,  he  added  :  '  Young  people  are  not  to  be  depended 
upon.  We  have  twice  written  to  Jules  telling  him  our  reasons, 
and  desiring  him  to  send  in  his  resignation.  As  he  has  not 
obeyed  our  instructions,  we  at  last  determined  to  come  our- 
selves. This  is  the  second  time,  monsieur,  that  we  have  come 
to  Paris  in  thirty  years.' 

Then  Rougon  began  to  protest.  Jules  had  the  most  pro- 
mising future  before  him,  said  he  ;  they  would  simply  ruin  his 
career.  But  the  Marchioness  made  a  gesture  of  impatience, 
and  began  to  explain  her  reasons  with  more  animation  than 
her  husband  had  shown.  '  It  is  not  for  us,  Monsieur  Rougon, 
to  judge  you,'  said  she, '  but  there  are  certain  traditions  in  our 
family.  Jules  must  not  be  mixed  up  in  any  abominable  per- 
secution of  the  Church.  Everyone  at  Plassans  is  amazed 
already.  We  should  embroil  ourselves  with  the  whole  nobility 
of  the  neighbourhood.' 

Rougon  at  once  understood  what  was  amiss.  He  was 
going  to  reply,  but  the  Marchioness  silenced  him  with  an 
imperious  gesture. 

'  Let  me  finish  !  '  she  said.  *  Our  son  entered  the  public 
service  in  spite  of  our  protests.  You  know  what  grief  we  felt 
at  seeing  him  take  office  under  an  illegitimate  government. 
It  was  all  I  could  do  to  keep  his  father  from  cursing  him. 
However,  our  house  has  been  in  mourning  ever  since,  and 
when  we  receive  our  friends,  the  name  of  our  son  is  never 
mentioned.  We  had  sworn  that  we  would  trouble  ourselves 
about  him  no  longer  ;  but  there  are  limits  to  everything,  and 
it  is  intolerable  that  an  Escorailles  should  be  mixed  up  with 
the  enemies  of  our  holy  faith.  You  hear  me,  do  you  not, 
monsieur  ?  ' 

Rougon  bowed.  He  did  not  even  think  of  smiling  at  the 
old  lady's  pious  fibs.  She  and  her  husband  once  more  stood 
before  him  proud  and  haughty  and  disdainful,  as  in  the  old 
days  when  he  had  prowled  about  Plassans  pinched  with 
hunger.  If  anyone  else  Lad  used  such  language  to  him,  he 
would  Qertainly  have  had  them  turned  out  by  the  lackeys. 


CLORIXDES  REVENGE  319 

But  now  he  felt  wounded,  distressed,  shrunken  as  it  were. 
He  again  thought  of  his  youth  of  sordid  poverty,  and  for  a 
moment  could  almost  have  fancied  that  he  was  wearing  his 
old  worn-down  shoes  once  more.  However,  he  promised  that 
he  would  use  his  influence  with  Jules  to  make  him  conform 
with  his  parents'  wishes  ;  and  then  alluding  to  the  reply  which 
he  was  awaiting  from  the  Emperor  he  just  added  :  '  It  is  quite 
possible,  madame,  that  your  son  will  be  restored  to  you  this 
very  evening.' 

When  he  was  alone  again,  Rougon  felt  a  thrill  of  fear. 
That  old  couple  had  succeeded  in  disturbing  his  hitherto  un- 
ruffled placidity.  He  now  hesitated  about  going  to  the  bazaar 
where  all  eyes  would  read  his  perturbation  on  his  face.  He 
felt  ashamed,  however,  of  this  childish  fear,  and  so  passed 
through  his  study  on  his  way  out.  Then  he  asked  Merle  if 
anything  had  come  for  him. 

'  No,  your  excellency,'  respectfully  replied  the  usher,  who 
had  been  on  the  look-out  all  the  morning. 

The  Orangery  in  the  Tuileries  Gardens,  where  the  bazaar 
was  being  held,  had  been  sumptuously  decorated  for  the  occa- 
sion. Crimson  velvet  hangings  with  fringes  of  gold  concealed 
the  walls,  and  transformed  the  huge  bare  gallery  into  a  lofty 
gala  hall.  Towards  one  end  on  the  left,  large  curtains,  also 
of  crimson  velvet,  were  stretched  across  the  gallery,  cutting  off 
a  portion  of  it.  They  were,  however,  looped  up  with  bands  orna- 
mented with  huge  golden  tassels  so  as  to  afford  free  communi- 
cation between  tlie  chief  section  of  the  hall,  where  the  stalls 
were  ranged  on  either  side,  and  the  smaller  division  where  a 
refreshment  counter  had  been  fitted  up.  The  floor  was  strewn 
with  fine  sand  ;  and  in  each  corner  stood  majolica  pots  con- 
taining rare  plants.  In  the  middle  of  the  square  space  formed 
by  the  stalls  there  was  a  low  circular  settee  upholstered  in 
velvet  and  with  a  very  sloping  back  ;  and  from  the  centre  of 
it  a  huge  column  of  flowers  shot  up,  a  hheaf  of  stems  amongst 
which  drooped  roses,  carnations,  and  verbenas,  like  a  shower 
of  dazzling  drops.  On  the  terrace  overlooking  the  Seine,  in 
front  of  the  folding  glass-doors,  wiiich  had  been  thrown  wide 
open,  some  grave-looking  ushers  in  black  dress  coats  glanced 
at  the  cards  of  the  invites  as  they  arrived. 

The  lady  patronesses  did  not  expect  many  people  before 
four  o'clock.  Erect  behind  their  stalls  in  the  great  hall  they 
waited  for  customers  to  arrive.  Their  wares  were  spread  out 
Qn  long   tables   covered   with   crimson   cloth,     There   werQ 


320  BIS  EXCELLENCY 


J 


several  stalls  of  Parisian  and  Chinese  fancy  goods ;  two  of 
children's  toys ;  a  florist's  kiosk  crammed  full  of  roses  ;  and, 
lastly,  inside  a  tent,  a  lucky-wheel,  like  those  to  be  seen  at  the 
fairs  in  the  Parisian  suburbs.  The  stall-holders,  in  low- 
necked  theatre  dresses,  assumed  all  the  persuasive  graces  of 
shopkeepers,  the  seductive  smiles  of  modistes  trying  to  palm 
off  old-fashioned  goods,  and  they  modulated  their  voices  allur- 
ingly, as  they  prattled  and  puffed  their  wares.  They  made 
themselves  quite  familiar  with  everyone  who  came  to  purchase 
of  them.  A  Princess  presided  over  one  of  the  toy  stalls,  and 
in  front  of  her,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hall,  a  Marchioness 
sold  purses  which  had  cost  twenty-nine  sous  for  twenty  francs 
a-piece.  These  two  were  rivals,  each  seeking  to  make  a  larger 
sum  of  money  than  the  other.  They  seized  hold  of  customers, 
called  out  to  the  men,  and  asked  the  most  shameless  prices  ; 
and,  after  bargaining  as  greedily  as  thievish  butchers,  they 
would  throw  in  the  tips  of  their  fingers  or  a  glimpse  of  their 
bosoms  to  turn  the  scale  and  complete  some  remunerative 
transaction.     Charity  was,  of  course,  their  excuse. 

Little  by  little  the  hall  gradually  filled.  Gentlemen 
calmly  halted  and  examined  the  stall-holders,  as  though  the 
latter  formed  part  of  the  goods  for  sale.  Fashionably  dressed 
young  fellows  crowded  round  certain  stalls,  laughing  and 
flirting,  while  the  lady-sellers  flitted  from  one  to  another  with 
inexhaustible  complacence,  offering  all  their  waves  in  turn 
with  the  same  charming  expression.  It  seemed  quite  an 
enjoyment  to  them.  Sales  by  auction  could  be  heard  pro- 
ceeding, interrupted  by  joyous  peals  of  laughter,  amid  the  low 
tramping  over  the  sanded  floor.  The  crimson  hangings 
softened  the  bright  hght  from  the  lofty  windows,  and  difl'used 
a  ruddy  glow,  which  here  and  there  set  a  pinky  touch  on  the 
stall-holders'  bare  necks  and  shoulders.  And  in  the  space 
between  the  stalls  six  other  ladies,  a  baroness,  two  bankers' 
daughters,  and  the  wives  of  three  high  officials,  threaded  their 
way  among  the  public  with  light  baskets  hanging  from  their 
necks.  These  darted  upon  each  new  arrival,  crying  cigars 
and  matches. 

However,  Madame  de  Combelot  met  with  particular  suc- 
cess. She  was  the  flower  girl,  and  sat  on  a  high  seat  in  the 
rose-crammed  kiosk,  a  carved  and  gilded  affair  which  looked 
like  a  great  pigeon-cote.  She  was  dressed  in  a  tight-fitting 
rose-coloured  dress,  the  corsage  of  Avhich  was  very  low.  And 
she   wore  no  jewellery,  but  simply  the  regulation  bunch   of 


CLORINDE'S  REVENGE  321 

violets  nestling  on  her  bosom.  To  make  herself  as  much  like 
a  genuine  flower  girl  as  possible,  it  had  occurred  to  her  to  tie 
up  her  bouquets  in  public,  holding  the  wire  between  her  teeth 
and  twisting  it  round  a  full-blown  rose,  a  bud,  and  three  leaves, 
which  she  sold  at  prices  ranging  from  one  to  ten  louis,  accord- 
ing to  the  appearance  of  her  customers.  And  her  bouquets 
were  in  such  demand  that  she  could  not  make  them  quickly 
enough,  while  every  now  and  then  she  pricked  herself  in 
her  haste  and  quickly  sucked  the  blood  from  her  fingers. 

In  the  canvas  tent  opposite  the  flower  stall  pretty  Madame 
Bouchard  presided  over  the  lucky-wheel.  She  was  wearing  a 
charming  blue  peasant-costume,  high  waisted  and  with  a 
y?c/u^- shaped  bodice  ;  indeed  almost  a  disguise  which  gave  her 
quite  the  appearance  of  a  vendor  of  cakes  and  gingerbread. 
She  also  affected  a  pretty  lisp  and  a  guileless  air  which  was 
very  original.  Over  the  lucky-wheel  were  displayed  the  dif- 
ferent prizes  ;  some  hideous  trifles  in  leather,  glass,  and  china, 
worth  four  or  five  sous  apiece.  And  every  few  moments, 
whenever  there  was  a  lack  of  patrons,  Madame  Bouchard 
called  out,  in  her  pretty  mnocent  voice,  which  suggested  some 
simple  Susan  fresh  from  her  village  :  '  Try  your  luck,  gentle- 
men !  Only  twenty  sous  a  time  1  Try  your  luck,  gentle- 
men 1 ' 

The  refreshment  room,  which,  like  the  larger  hall,  had 
its  floor  sanded  and  its  corners  decorated  with  rare  plants, 
was  furnished  with  little  round  tables  and  cane-seated  chairs. 
It  had  been  made  to  resemble  a  cafe  as  much  as  possible. 
At  one  end,  behind  a  massive  counter,  were  three  ladies  who 
fanned  themselves  while  waiting  for  orders.  Decanters  of 
liqueurs,  plates  of  cakes  and  sandwiches,  sweetmeats,  cigars 
and  cigarettes,  were  set  out  in  front  of  them,  recalling  the 
kind  of  display  which  one  sees  at  the  buffets  of  questionable 
dancing  saloons.  Every  few  moments  the  lady  in  the  middle, 
a  dark  and  petulant  Countess,  rose  and  bent  forward  to  pour 
out  a  glass  of  something  or  other,  seeming  quite  bewildered 
amidst  all  those  decanters,  and  dashing  her  bare  arms  about 
at  the  risk  of  breaking  everything.  It  was  Clorinde,  how- 
ever, who  was  the  real  queen  of  the  buffet.  It  was  she 
who  handed  the  customers  the  refreshments  they  ordered, 
when  they  sat  down  at  the  little  tables.  She  looked  like  Juno 
masquerading  as  a  waiting-maid.  She  wore  a  yellow  satin 
robe  slashed  slant-wise  with  black  satin,  a  dazzling,  extraor- 
dniary  arrangement  which  suggested  a  blazing  star  with  a 

Y 


32  2  ins  EXCELLENCY 

comet's  tail  sweeping  after  it.  Her  bodice  was  cut  very  low, 
and  she  sailed  aboiit  majestically  amidst  the  cane-seated 
chairs,  carrying  her  glasses  on  a  pewter  tray  with  all  the 
serenity  of  a  goddess.  Her  bare  elbows  brushed  against  the 
men's  slioulders,  and  her  bosom  showed  conspicuously  as  she 
bent  down  to  take  their  orders,  evincing  no  haste  as  she  did 
so,  but  answering  every  one  with  a  smile,  apparently  quite  at 
her  ease.  When  the  refreshments  had  been  consumed,  she 
received  in  her  queenly  hand  the  silver  and  copper  coins 
tendered  in  payment,  and,  with  a  gesture  that  had  already 
become  familiar  to  her,  dropped  them  into  a  bag  hanging  from 
her  waist. 

At  last  M.  Kahn  and  M.  Bejuin  came  into  the  buffet  and 
sat  down.  The  former  jocosely  rapped  the  zinc  table  at  which 
he  installed  himself  just  as  he  might  have  done  at  a  cafe, 
and  called  :  '  Tw-o  beers,  madame.' 

Clorinde  hastened  up,  served  the  two  glasses  of  beer,  and 
then  remained  standing  near  the  table,  to  snatch  a  little  rest, 
as  just  then  there  happened  to  be  very  few  customers.  And 
while  she  wiped  her  fingers  on  which  some  beer  had  trickled, 
M.  Kahn  noticed  the  peculiar  brightness  of  her  eyes,  the 
expression  of  triumph  with  which  her  whole  face  shone.  He 
blinked  at  her  for  a  moment,  and  then  asked  :  '  When  did 
you  get  back  from  Fontainebleau  ? ' 

'  This  morning, '  she  replied. 

'  You've  seen  the  Emperor,  then,  I  suppose  ?  Well,  what 
is  the  news  ? ' 

Clorinde  smiled,  compressed  her  lips  in  a  peculiar  fashion, 
and  then  in  her  turn  looked  at  M.  Kahn.  The  latter  there- 
upon noticed  that  she  was  wearing  an  eccentric  ornament 
which  he  had  never  seen  before.  It  was  a  dog-collar  en- 
circling her  bare  neck  ;  a  real  dog-collar  of  black  velvet,  with 
buckle,  ring  and  bell.  The  bell  was  of  gold,  and  a  pearl 
tinkled  inside  it.  Upon  the  collar  there  were  two  names  in 
letters  of  diamonds,  oddly  twisted  and  interlaced.  And  from 
the  ring  a  thick  gold  chain  fell  over  her  bosom,  and  then  rose 
again,  ending  in  a  gold  plate  fastened  to  her  right  arm,  on 
which  were  these  words  :  I  belong  to  my  master. 

'  Is  that  a  present  ?'  softly  asked  M.  Kahn,  pointing  to  the 
ornament. 

Clorinde  nodded  assent,  still  keeping  her  lips  compressed 
with  a  cunning,  sensual  expression.  She  had  desired  this  ser- 
vitude and  she  paraded  it  with  shameless  serenity,  as  though 


CLORI.VDE'S  REVENGE  323 

she  felt  honoured  hy  a  sovereign's  choice,  an  object  of  envy  to 
every  other  woman.  When  she  had  made  her  appearance  with 
this  collar  round  her  neck,  on  which  the  keen  eyes  of  rivals 
fancied  they  could  decipher  an  illustrious  name  interlaced 
with  her  own,  every  woman  present  had  understood  the  truth, 
and  had  exchanged  significant  glances  with  her  acquaintances. 

However,  business  in  the  refreshment  room  was  suddenly 
becoming  brisk.  '  A  glass  of  beer,  madame,  please,'  said  a 
fat  gentleman  wearing  a  decoration — a  general — as  he  looked 
at  Clorinde  smiling. 

When  she  had  brought  the  beer,  two  deputies  asked  her 
for  some  Chartreuse.  A  crowd  was  now  pouring  into  the 
buffet,  and  orders  were  given  on  all  sides  for  liqueurs,  lemonade, 
biscuits,  and  cigars.  And  the  men,  while  staring  at  Clorinde, 
repeated  in  whispers  the  various  stories  which  were  current. 
For  her  part  she  turned  her  neck  in  all  serenity,  the  better 
indeed  to  show  her  dog-collar  and  the  heavy  gold  chain  which 
tinkled  as  she  moved.  That  she  had  been  a  queen  of  the  left 
hand  imparted  additional  piquancy  to  her  present  assumption 
of  the  part  of  a  waiting-maid,  who,  answering  everyone's  beck 
and  call,  dragged  statuesque  feet — which  had  been  passion- 
ately kissed  by  august  moustaches — over  the  floor  of  a  mock 
cafe,  amongst  pieces  of  lemon-peel  and  biscuit-crumbs. 

'  It's  really  quite  amusing,'  the  young  woman  said,  as  she 
came  back  and  stood  by  M.  Kahn.  '  One  of  the  gentlemen 
actually  gave  me  a  pinch  just  now !  But  I  didn't  say  any- 
thing. What  would  have  been  the  good  ?  It's  all  for  the 
sake  of  the  poor,  isn't  it  ?  ' 

M.  Kahn  motioned  to  her  to  stoop,  and  when  she  had  done 
so,  he  whispered  :  '  Well,  what  about  Kougon  ?  ' 

'  Hush  !  You'll  know  everything  soon,'  she  replied,  in 
equally  low  tones.  '  I  have  sent  him  an  invitation  card,  and 
I  am  expecting  his  arrival.'  Then,  as  M.  Kahn  wagged  his 
head,  she  added,  with  animation  :  '  Yes,  yes,  I  know  him, 
I'm  sure  he'll  come.  And  besides  he  knows  nothing  of  what 
has  happened.' 

]\I.  Kahn  and  M.  Bejuin  then  began  to  look  out  anxiously 
for  Eougon's  appearance.  They  could  see  the  whole  of  the 
large  hall  through  the  opening  in  the  curtains.  The  crowd 
there  was  increasing  every  minute.  On  the  circular  settee 
several  men  were  lounging  with  their  knees  crossed  and  their 
eyes  sleepily  closed,  while  a  continual  tlow  of  visitors  brushed 
against  their  feet  as  it   streamed   past.     The  heat  was  be- 

y2 


324  JJ^^S  EXCELLENCY 

coming  excessive ;  and  the  hubbub  grew  ever  louder  in  the 
roseate  haze  that  floated  over  the  forest  of  black  silk  hats. 
Every  few  moments,  too,  the  grating,  rattling  sound  of  the 
lucky-wheel  could  be  heard. 

Madame  Correur,  who  had  just  arrived,  was  going  slowly 
round  the  stalls.  She  looked  very  fat,  in  her  gown  of  grena- 
dine striped  white  and  mauve ;  and  there  was  a  shrewd 
expression  on  her  face,  the  calculating  air  of  the  customer 
who  looks  about  her  with  the  intention  of  making  some 
advantageous  bargain.  There  were  plenty  of  such  to  be 
made,  she  said,  at  these  charitable  bazaars,  for  the  ladies 
often  did  not  know  the  value  of  their  wares.  However,  she 
never  bought  anything  of  such  stall-holders  as  were  friends 
of  her  own,  for  they  always  tried  to  take  advantage  of  her. 
When  she  had  been  all  round  the  hall,  moving  the  different 
goods  about,  examining  them  and  putting  them  back  in  their 
places  again,  she  returned  to  a  stall  where  some  fancy  articles 
in  leather  were  displayed  for  sale,  and  here  she  remained  for 
fully  ten  minutes  turning  everything  over  with  an  air  of  per- 
plexity. At  last,  she  carelessly  took  up  a  Russian  leather 
pocket-book,  on  which  she  had  really  cast  her  eyes  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  previously. 

*  How  much  ?  '  she  asked. 

The  stall-holder,  a  tall,  fair,  young  woman,  who  was 
joking  with  two  gentlemen,  scarcely  turned  as  she  replied  : 
'  Fifteen  francs.' 

The  pocket-book  was  worth  at  least  twenty.  These  ladies, 
who  contended  with  each  other  in  wresting  extravagant  prices 
from  the  men,  generally  sold  their  goods  to  visitors  of  ibeir 
own  sex  at  cost  price,  actuated  in  the  matter  by  a  sort  of  free- 
masonry. Madame  Correur,  however,  laid  the  pocket-book  on 
the  stall  again,  and  put  on  an  expression  of  alarm.  '  Oh,  it 
is  too  expensive,'  she  said.  '  I  want  something  for  a  present, 
but  I  don't  wish  to  give  more  than  ten  francs.  Have  you  got 
anything  nice  for  ten  francs  ?  ' 

Then  she  began  to  turn  all  the  goods  over  again.  Nothing, 
however,  seemed  to  suit  her.  What  a  pity  it  was  that  the 
pocket-book  was  so  dear  !  8he  took  it  up  again  and  poked  her 
nose  into  the  pockets,  whereupon  the  stall-holder,  growing 
impatient,  at  last  offered  to  sell  it  to  her  for  fourteen  franc  s, 
and  then  for  twelve.  That,  however,  was  still  too  much, 
according  to  Madame  Correur,  who,  after  much  keen  bargain- 
ing, succeeded  in  getting  it  for  eleven. 


CLORINDE'S  REVENGE  325 

*I  prefer  selling  things  if  I  can,'  said  the  tall  young 
woman.  '  All  the  ladies  bargain  and  not  one  of  them  buys 
anything.  If  it  weren't  for  the  gentlemen  I  don't  know  what 
we  should  do  !  ' 

As  Madame  Correur  went  off  she  had  the  satisfaction  of 
finding  inside  the  pocket-book  a  ticket  denoting  that  the  real 
price  was  twenty-five  francs.  Then  she  strolled  about  again, 
and  finally  installed  herself  behind  the  lucky-wheel,  by  the 
side  of  Madame  Bouchard,  whom  she  called  her '  pet,'  and 
whose  side  curls  she  began  to  arrange. 

'  Ah !  here  conies  the  colonel  ! '  suddenly  exclaimed  M. 
Kahn,  who  was  still  sitting  in  the  refreshment  room  with  his 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  entrance. 

The  colonel  had  come  because  he  could  not  very  well  help 
doing  so.  He  hoped,  however,  to  get  off  with  the  expenditure 
of  a  louis,  though  the  thought  of  even  that  small  outlay 
was  already  making  his  heart  bleed.  As  soon  as  he  made  his 
appearance  he  was  surrounded  and  attrck  d  by  three  or  four 
ladies,  who  repeated  :  '  Buy  a  cigar  of  me,  monsieur  !  A  box 
of  matches,  monsieur  !  ' 

The  colonel  smiled,  and  politely  extricated  himself  frwii 
their  skirts.  Then  he  looked  round  him  and  coming  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  had  better  spend  his  money  at  once,  he 
went  up  to  a  stall  presided  over  by  a  lady  high  in  favour  at 
Court,  of  whom  he  inquired  the  price  of  a  very  ugly  cigar-case. 
Seventy-five  francs !  The  colonel  could  not  suppress  a 
gesture  of  alarm,  and  dropping  the  cigar-case  he  hurriedly 
escaped ;  while  the  lady,  flushing  red  and  feeling  offended, 
turned  her  head  away  as  though  he  had  been  guilty  of  some 
shocking  impropriety  in  her  presence.  Then  the  colonel, 
desirous  of  preventing  any  unpleasant  comments,  went  up  to 
the  kiosk  where  Madame  de  Combelot  was  still  manufacturing 
her  little  bouquets.  These,  at  any  rate,  could  not  be  so  very 
expensive,  he  thought.  However,  he  would  not  even  venture 
upon  the  purchase  of  a  bouquet,  for  he  felt  sure  that  Madame 
de  Combelot  would  put  a  fairly  good  price  upon  her  handi- 
work ;  so  from  amongst  the  heap  of  roses  he  chose  a  cankered 
bud,  the  poorest  and  most  insignificant  he  could  see. 

'  What  is  the  price  of  this  flower,  madame  ?  '  he  then  in- 
quired, with  a  great  show  of  politeness,  as  he  took  out  his 
purse 

*  A  hundred  francs,  monsieur,'  replied  the  lady,  who  had 
been  stealthily  watching  his  manoeuvres. 


326  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

The  colonel  began  to  stammer,  and  his  liands  trembled. 
This  time,  however,  he  felt  that  retreat  was  impossible. 
There  were  several  people  watching  him.  So  he  reluctantly 
paid  his  money  and  then  sought  refuge  in  the  refreshment 
room. 

'  It  is  an  abominable  swindle,  an  abominable  swindle ! '  he 
muttered,  as  he  took  a  seat  at  M.  Kahn's  table. 

'  You  haven't  seen  anything  of  Eougon  in  the  hall,  have 
you  ?  '  asked  M.  Kahn, 

The  colonel  made  no  reply.  He  was  casting  furious  side- 
long glances  at  the  stall -holders.  Then,  hearing  M.  d'Esco- 
railles  and  M.  La  Eouquette  laughing  loudly  in  front  of  one  of 
the  stalls,  he  ground  out  between  his  teeth  :  '  Ah  !  it's  all  very 
well  for  those  young  fellows  !  They  manage  to  get  something 
for  their  money! ' 

M.  d'Escorailles  and  M.  La  Eouquette  certainly  seemed  to 
be  amusing  themselves.  The  ladies  at  the  stalls  were  strug- 
gling to  get  possession  of  them.  As  soon  as  they  had  made 
their  appearance,  all  hands  had  beckoned  to  them  and  they 
were  called  on  every  side :  '  Monsieur  d'Escorailles,  you 
know  that  you  promised  me—'  'Now,  Monsieur  La  Eou- 
quette, do  buy  this  little  horse  of  me!  No?  Well,  you 
shall  buy  a  doll,  then !  Yes,  a  doll :  a  doll's  exactly  what 
you  want ! ' 

The  two  young  men  were  walking  arm  in  arm  for  mutual 
protection  as  they  playfully  asserted.  They  advanced  radiant, 
enraptured  through  the  attacking  battalion  of  petticoats, 
greeted  with  a  caressing  chorus  of  sweet  voices.  Every  now 
and  then  they  disappeared  amidst  a  wave  of  bare  shoulders, 
against  which  they  pretended  to  defend  themselves  with  httle 
cries  of  alarm.  And  at  every  stall  they  allowed  themselves  to 
be  attacked.  Then  they  began  to  affect  miserliness  and  to 
apsume  the  most  comical  expressions  of  surprise.  What !  a 
louis  for  a  doll  that  wasn't  worth  more  than  a  sou  !  Oh,  that 
was  quite  beyond  their  means  !  Two  louis  for  three  pencils  ! 
What !  did  the  ladies  want  to  reduce  them  to  starvation  ? 
The  ladies  were  immensely  amused  and  their  pretty  laughter 
rippled  on  in  flute-like  strains.  They  grew  keener  than  ever, 
quite  intoxicated  by  the  shower  of  gold  raining  around  them, 
and  trebled  and  quadrupled  their  prices  in  their  craving  for 
plunder.  They  passed  the  young  men  on  from  stall  to  stall 
with  significant  winks  ;  and  such  remarks  as  '  I'll  squeeze 
them  well  1'  or   '  You  can    stick   it  on  with  them ! '  were 


CLORTNDE'S  REVENGE  327 

banditMl  about ;  remarks  which  the  two  young  fellows  heard 
and  acknowledged  with  playful  bows.  Behind  them  the  ladies 
triumphed  and  boasted  one  to  the  other.  The  cleverest  and 
most  envied  was  a  girl  of  eighteen,  who  had  sold  one  of  them 
a  stick  of  sealing  wax  for  three  louis.  However,  when  they  at 
last  reached  the  end  of  the  hall  and  a  lady  insisted  upon  for- 
cing a  box  of  soap  into  M.  d'Escorailles'  pocket,  he  shook  his 
purse  before  her  face,  saying  :  *  But  I  haven't  a  copper  left. 
Shall  I  give  you  a  promissory  note  for  the  money  ?  ' 

The  lady,  who  was  quite  excited,  took  the  purse  and 
searched  it.  Then  she  looked  at  the  young  man,  and  it  seemed 
as  though  she  was  on  the  point  of  asking  him  for  his  watch 
chain.  However,  it  was  all  a  trick  on  M.  d'Escorailles'  part. 
On  such  occasions  he  took  an  empty  purse  with  him  by  way  of 
amusement. 

'  Come,  let's  be  off ! '  he  said,  dragging  M.  La  Eouquette 
away.  '  I'm  going  to  be  stingy  now.  We  must  try  to  recoup 
ourselves,  eh  ? ' 

'  Try  your  luck,  gentlemen  !  Twenty  sous  a  chance  !  ' 
called  Madame  Bouchard  as  they  passed  in  front  of  the  lucky  • 
wheel. 

They  at  once  approached  her,  and  went  into  the  business 
enthusiastically.  For  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  lucky-wheel 
was  kept  going  without  cessation.  First  one,  then  the  other 
set  it  spinning.  M.  d'Escorailles  won  two  dozen  egg-cups, 
three  little  looking-glasses,  seven  china  figures,  and  five 
cigarette-cases  ;  while  M.  La  Rouquette's  winnings  consisted 
of  two  packets  of  lace,  a  china  tray  mounted  on  feet  of  gilded 
zinc,  some  glasses,  a  candle-stick,  and  a  box  with  a  glass 
cover.  Madame  Bouchard  became  indignant  :  '  Come,  that's 
enough,'  said  she,  '  you're  too  lucky!  I  won't  let  you  go  ou 
any  longer  !     Here,  take  your  winnings  away.' 

She  had  arranged  them  in  two  big  piles  upon  a  table  be- 
side her.  M.  La  Rouquette  seemed  filled  with  consternation 
at  the  sight  of  them  ;  and  asked  her  to  exchange  them  for  the 
regulation  bunch  of  violets  which  she  was  wearing  in  her  hair. 
But  she  declined  to  do  so.  '  No,  no,'  she  said,  '  you've  won 
those  things,  haven't  you  ?  Very  well,  then,  take  '}hem  away 
with  you.' 

'  Madame  is  quite  right,'  remarked  M.  d'Escorailles, 
gravely.  '  We  mustn't  despise  fortune,  and  for  my  part  I  do 
not  mean  to  leave  a  single  egg-cup  behind  me.  I'm  getting 
stingy. 


328  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

He  had  spread  out  his  handkerchief  and  was  tying  his 
winnings  up  in  a  neat  bundle,  which  caused  a  fresh  burst  of 
gaiety.  And  M.  La  Rouquette's  embarrassment  was  equally 
amusing.  But  at  last  Madame  Correur,  who  had  hitherto 
kept  in  the  background  with  smiling  matronly  dignity,  pro- 
truded her  fat  rosy  face.  She  would  be  very  glad  to  make 
an  exchange,  said  she. 

'  Oh,  no,  I  don't  want  anything ! '  the  young  deputy  hastily 
exclaimed.  '  Take  the  whole  lot ;  I  make  you  a  present  of 
everything.' 

He  and  Escorailles  did  not,  however,  take  themselves  off  at 
once,  but  began  to  whisper  doubtful  compliments  to  Madame 
Bouchard.  Turning  a  lucky-wheel  was  all  very  well,  they 
told  her,  but  she  knew  much  better  how  to  turn  men's  heads. 
Meanwhile  Madame  Bouchard  dropped  her  eyelashes  and 
giggled  like  a  peasant-girl  chaffed  by  gentlemen.  Madame 
Correur  gazed  at  her  in  admiration.  'Isn't  she  sweet  ?  Isn't 
she  sweet  ? '  she  exclaimed  every  now  and  then,  with  a 
rapturous  expression. 

But  Madame  Bouchard  at  last  began  to  rap  M.d'Escorailles' 
fingers,  for  he  wanted  to  examine  the  mechanism  of  the  lucky- 
wheel,  alleging  that  it  did  not  work  fairly.  Would  they  never 
leave  her  at  peace  ?  she  cried.  As  there  was  nothing  more  to 
be  got  out  of  them  they  had  better  go.  And  when  she  at 
length  managed  to  get  rid  of  them,  she  again  began  to  call 
in  a  coaxing  voice :  '  Only  twenty  sous  a  spin,  gentlemen. 
Come  and  try  one  spin  !  ' 

At  that  moment  M.  Kahn,  who  had  risen  from  his  chair 
to  look  over  the  heads  of  the  crowd,  hastily  sat  down  again. 
'  Here's  Rougon  coming  ! '  he  exclaimed.  '  Let's  pretend  not 
to  see  him.' 

Rougon  was  slowly  making  his  way  up  the  hall.  He 
stopped  first  at  Madame  Bouchard's  tent,  tried  his  fortune 
at  the  lucky-wheel,  and  afterwards  purchased  a  rose  from 
Madame  de  Combelot  for  three  louis.  Having  thus  con- 
tributed to  the  funds  of  the  charity,  he  seemed  inclined  to 
take  his  departure.  He  elbowed  his  way  through  the  throng, 
already  turning  towards  one  of  the  doors.  But  all  at  once, 
having  glanced  into  the  refreshment  room,  he  abruptly  altered 
his  course,  and  entered  the  buffet,  proudly,  calmly,  with  head 
erect.  M.  d'Escorailles  and  M.  La  Rouquette  had  now  taken 
seats  beside  M.  Kahn,  M.  Bejuin,  and  the  colonel.  M.  Bouchard 
also  came  up  and  joined  them.     And  all  of  them  trembled 


CLORINDE'S  REVENGE  3^9 

slightly  as  the  minister  passed  by,  so  big  and  strong  did  be 
seem  to  them  with  those  massive  limbs  of  his.  He  greeted 
them  familiarly  in  a  loud  distinct  voice  and  seated  himself  at 
a  neighbouring  table.  He  kept  his  broad  face  raised,  and 
turned  it  slowly  to  the  right  and  left  as  though  anxious  to 
confront  unflinchingly  the  glances  which  he  felt  were  fixed 
upon  him. 

Clorinde  stepped  up  to  him,  dragging  her  heavy  yellow 
train  majestically  behind  her.  '  What  will  you  take  ?  '  she 
asked  him,  affecting  a  vulgarity  of  manners  not  untinged  with 
raillery. 

'  Ah,  that's  the  question,'  he  answered  gaily.  '  I  never 
drink  anything,  you  know.     What  have  you  got  ?  ' 

Clorinde  went  rapidly  through  her  list  of  liqueurs ;  brandy, 
rum,  cura^oa,  kirsch-water,  chartreuse,  vespetro,  anisette,  and 
kummel. 

'  No,  no,  I  won't  have  any  of  those.    Give  me  a  glass  of 
sugared  water.' 

She  went  oft'  to  the  counter,  and  came  back  with  the  glass 
of  sugared  water,  still  preserving  an  air  of  goddess-like 
majesty.  And  she  lingered  in  front  of  Rougon,  watching 
him  stir  the  sugar.  The  minister  continued  to  smile,  making 
the  first  commonplace  remarks  that  suggested  themselves  to 
him.     '  You  are  well,  I  hope  ?     It  is  an  age  since  I  saw  you.' 

'  I  have  been  at  Fontainebleau,'  she  quietly  replied. 

Rougon  raised  his  eyes,  and  gave  her  a  searching  glance. 
But  in  her  turn  she  began  to  question  him.  '  And  are  you 
well  pleased '? '  she  asked.  '  Is  everything  going  on  as  you 
wish  it?' 

'  Yes,  quite  so,'  the  minister  repUed. 

'  Oh  !  so  much  tbe  better.' 

For  a  moment  she  turned  around  him  with  all  the  atten- 
tion of  a  professional  waiter.  But  her  malicious  flashing 
eyes  were  fixed  on  him,  as  though  she  were  every  moment 
going  to  overwhelm  him  with  her  triumph.  At  last,  as  she 
was  making  up  her  mind  to  leave  him,  she  raised  herself 
upon  tip-toes,  and  cast  a  glance  into  the  adjoining  hall.  And 
thereupon  she  touched  Rougon's  shoulder.  '  There  is  some 
one  looking  for  you,  I  believe,'  she  said,  with  an  animated 
expression  on  her  face. 

Merle  indeed  was  respectfully  threading  his  way  between 
the  neighbouring  chairs  and  tables.  He  made  three  bows, 
one  after  the  other,  and  begged  his  excellency  to  excuse  him  ; 


330  Ills  EXCELLENCY 

but,  said  lie,  the  letter  which  his  excellency  had  been  expect- 
ing all  the  morning  had  arrived,  and,  although  he  had  received 
no  instructions,  be  had  thought 

'  Yes,  yes,  all  right  ;  give  it  to  me,'  interrupted  Rougon. 

The  usher  handed  him  a  large  envelope,  and  then  went  off 
to  prowl  about  the  bazaar.  Rougon  had  recognised  the  writ- 
ing at  a  glance.  It  was  an  autograph  letter  from  the  Emperor 
in  answer  to  the  one  proffering  his  resignation.  A  chilly  per- 
spiration mounted  to  his  brow  ;  still  he  showed  no  sign  of 
pallor,  but  quietly  slipped  the  letter  into  the  inner  pocket  of 
his  coat,  without  ceasing  to  meet  the  glances  that  were  directed 
upon  him  from  M.  Kahn's  table.  Clorinde  had  just  gone  to 
speak  a  few  words  to  the  latter  gentleman  ;  and  the  whole 
band  was  now  watching  Rougon  with  feverish  curiosity. 

However,  Clorinde  returned  and  again  stood  in  front  of 
him,  while  he  drank  half  his  glassful  of  sugared  water,  and 
thought  of  some  compliment  to  address  to  her. 

'  You  are  looking  quite  lovely  to  day.  If  queens  turn 
themselves  into  waiting-maids ' 

But  she  cut  his  compliment  short.  'You  haven't  read 
your  letter  then  ?  '  she  said  audaciously. 

For  a  moment  he  affected  forgetfulness ;  and  then  all  at 
once  pretended  to  recollect.  '  Oh,  yes,  that  letter.  I'U  read 
it  at  once,  if  it  will  give  you  any  pleasure.' 

He  opened  the  envelope  carefully  with  a  penknife,  and  at 
a  glance  read  the  brief  letter  inside  it.  The  Emperor  accepted 
his  resignation.  For  nearly  a  minute  he  kept  the  letter  before 
his  face  as  though  he  were  reading  it  over  again.  He  felt 
afraid  lest  he  should  not  be  able  to  maintain  a  calm  expression. 
A  terrible  protest  was  rising  within  him  ;  a  rebellion  of  his 
whole  strength,  which  was  unwilhng  to  accept  this  downfall, 
shook  him  to  his  very  bones.  If  he  had  not  sternly  restrained 
himself,  he  would  have  shouted  aloud,  and  have  smashed  the 
table  with  his  ponderous  fists.  And  with  his  eyes  still  fixed 
upon  the  letter,  he  pictured  the  Emperor  as  he  had  seen  him 
at  Saint  Cloud  renewing  his  expressions  of  confidence,  and 
confirming  his  previous  instructions  with  soft  words  and 
ceaseless  smile.  What  long  devised  plan  of  disgrace  had 
Napoleon  been  maturing  behind  that  impenetrable  expression 
of  his,  that  he  should  now  so  suddenly  have  crushed  him  in  a 
night,  after  a  score  of  times  insisting  on  his  retaining  office  ? 

At  last,  by  a  mighty  effort,  Rougon  conquered  his  emotion. 
He  raised  his  face  again,  and  it  appeared  unruffled.     Then  he 


CLORINDE'S  REVENGE  331 

put  the  letter  back  into  his  pocket  with  a  careless  gesture. 
But  Clorinde,  whose  hands  rested  upon  the  little  table,  stooped 
eagerly  towards  him,  and  with  quivering,  eager  lips  exclaimed: 
*  I  knew  it  all.     I  was  there  this  morning-- my  poor  friend  ! ' 

Then  she  went  on  to  pity  him  in  so  cruelly  mocking  a 
voice  that  he  again  looked  keenly  at  her.  She  had  ceased  to 
dissemble  now.  She  had  at  last  reached  the  triumph  to  which 
she  had  been  looking  forward  for  months  past,  and  she  spoke 
slowly  and  deliberately,  savouring  the  sweetness  of  being  at 
last  able  to  show  herself  his  implacable  and  avenged  foe. 

'  I  was  unable  to  defend  you,'  she  continued.     '  You  are 

doubtless  not  aware '     Then  she  broke  off,  and  said  with 

a  cutting  expression :  '  Guess  who  succeeds  you  as  Minister 
of  the  Interior ! ' 

He  made  a  gesture  expressive  of  indifference  ;  but  she 
still  kept  her  eyes  fixed  on  him,  and  at  last  let  these  words 
fall:  'My  husband  I' 

Eougon,  whose  mouth  was  parched,  drank  some  more  of 
the  sugared  water.  Clorinde  had  thrown  into  her  last  two 
words  the  expression  of  all  she  felt,  her  anger  at  having  been 
formerly  despised,  the  rancour  which  she  had  so  skilfully 
satisfied,  her  delight  as  a  woman  in  having  crushed  a  man 
who  was  credited  with  the  highest  abilities.  And  she  allowed 
herself  the  pleasure  of  torturing  him  and  abusing  her  victory. 
No  doubt,  said  she,  her  husband  wasn't  a  very  clever  person. 
She  confessed  it  freely,  and  even  joked  about  it ;  meaning  to 
convey  that  the  first  comer  would  have  done  equally  as  well, 
and  that  she  could  have  made  Merle  a  minister  if  the  whim 
had  seized  her.  Yes,  indeed,  the  usher  Merle,  or  any  other 
imbecile  that  she  might  have  come  across.  Any  one  would 
have  done  to  succeed  Rougon.  All  this  went  to  prove  the 
omnipotence  of  woman.  Then  she  assumed  a  motherly,  pro- 
tecting air,  and  began  to  lavish  good  advice. 

'  You  see,  my  friend,  as  I've  often  told  you,  you  made  a 
mistake  in  despising  women.  Wonen  are  not  the  fools  you 
imagine  them  to  be.  It  used  to  make  me  quite  angry  to 
hear  you  speak  of  us  as  though  we  were  idiots,  mere 
cumbersome  paraphernalia,  even  mill-stones  about  your 
neck.  Look  at  my  husband  now  !  Have  I  been  a  mill-stone 
to  him,  do  you  think  ?  I  have  been  looking  forward  to  show 
you  all  this.  I  promised  myself  this  satisfaction,  as  you  may 
perhaps  remember,  on  the  day  when  we  had  a  certain  con- 
versation  together.     Now  I  hope  I  have  convinced  you.     I 


332  iriS  EXCELLENCY 

willingly  allow,  my  friend,  that  you  are  a  very  clever  fellow ; 
but  be  quite  sure  of  this,  that  a  wuman  can  always  topple  you 
over  if  she  chooses  to  take  the  trouble.' 

Rougon  had  turned  rather  pale,  still  he  smiled.  *  Yes ; 
I  dare  say  you  are  right,  he  said  in  a  low  voice,  calling  to 
mind  all  that  had  gone  before. 

He  indulged  in  no  recriminations.  Clorinde  had  sucked 
some  of  his  strength  away  from  him  to  use  it  for  his  own  over- 
throw ;  she  had  applied  to  his  own  ruin  the  lessons  which  she 
had  learnt  from  him  during  those  pleasant  afternoons  in  the 
Rue  Marbeuf.  He  was  now  drinking  the  cup  of  ingratitude 
and  treason ;  but,  man  of  experience  that  he  was,  he  accepted 
it  with  all  its  bitterness.  The  only  point  which  troubled  him 
was  whether  he  even  now  fully  understood  Clorinde.  He 
thought  of  his  former  inquiries  about  her,  his  futile  efforts  to 
discover  the  secret  workings  of  that  majestic  but  erratic  machine. 
Decidedly,  he  said  to  himself,  the  folly  of  man  was  great  indeed. 

Clorinde  had  twice  left  him  for  a  moment  to  serve  other 
customers  ;  and,  now  that  she  had  had  full  satisfaction,  she 
again  resumed  her  stately  perambulations  amidst  the  tables, 
aifecting  to  take  no  further  notice  of  him.  He  watched  her, 
however,  and  saw  her  approach  a  gentleman  with  an  immense 
beard,  a  foreigner,  whose  lavish  prodigality  was  at  that  time 
quite  exciting  Paris.     He  was  just  finishing  a  glass  of  Malaga. 

'  How  much,  madame  ?  '  he  inquired,  rising  from  his  seat. 

'  Five  francs,  monsieur.     Everything  is  five  francs  a  glass.' 

He  paid  the  money.  *  And  a  kiss,  how  much  is  that  ?  '  he 
continued,  in  the  same  tone  with  his  foreign  accent. 

*  A  hundred  thousand  francs,'  answered  Clorinde,  without 
the  slightest  hesitation. 

The  foreigner  sat  down  again,  and  wrote  a  few  words  on  a 
page  which  he  tore  from  a  memorandum-book.  Then  he 
deposited  a  smacking  kiss  on  Clorinde's  cheek,  paid  for  it,  and 
v\ent  off  in  the  most  phlegmatic  manner  possible.  All  the 
people  in  the  cafe  smiled,  much  amused  by  the  incident. 

'  It's  only  a  question  of  paying  the  price,'  murmured 
Clorinde,  going  up  towaids  Rougon  again. 

He  detected  a  fresh  allusion  in  this  remark.  To  him  she 
had  said  '  Never !  '  And  then,  this  man  of  chaste  life,  who 
had  borne  so  bravely  the  stunning  blow  of  his  dismissal,  began 
to  feel  keenly  pained  by  the  collar  which  Clorinde  so  impu- 
dently paraded.  She  stooped  and  swayed  her  neck  as  though 
to  provoke  him  still  further.     The  pearl  tinkled  in  the  golden 


CLORINDE'S  REVENGE  333 

bell  ;  the  chain  hung  low,  still  warm  from  the  hands  of  the 
giver  ;  and  on  the  velvet  flashed  the  diamond  letters  by  which 
liougon  could  easily  read  the  secret  known  to  everybody.  And 
never  befoi'e  had  he  so  keenly  felt  the  bite  of  unconfessed 
jealousy,  the  burning  envy  which  he  had  sometimes  experi- 
enced in  the  presence  of  the  all-powerful  Emperor. 

The  young  woman  probably  guessed  the  torment  he  was 
suffering,  and  it  pleased  her  to  inflict  yet  another  pang  upon 
him.  She  called  his  attention  to  Madame  de  Combelot,  who 
was  still  selling  her  roses  in  the  flower-stall.  '  Ah  !  that  poor 
Madame  de  Combelot ! '  she  said,  with  a  malicious  laugh  ; 
*  she  is  still  waiting  ! ' 

However,  Rougon  finished  his  sugared  water.  He  felt  as 
though  he  were  choking.  *  How  much  ? '  he  stammered, 
taking  out  his  purse. 

'  Five  francs.' 

When  she  had  tossed  the  coin  into  the  bag,  Clorinde  held 
out  her  hand  again.  '  Aren't  you  going  to  give  anything  to 
the  waiter  ?  '  she  asked  playfully. 

Rougon  felt  in  his  pocket  and  brought  out  a  couple  of  sous, 
which  he  dropped  into  her  hand.  This  insult  was  the  only 
vengeance  which  his  parvenu  boorishness  could  think  of. 
In  spite  of  her  self-possession,  Clorinde  blushed.  But  she 
quickly  resumed  her  guddess-like  demeanour,  and  went  off 
bowing  and  saying  :  '  Thank  you,  your  excellency.' 

Rougon  did  not  dare  to  rise  immediately.  His  legs  felt 
nerveless,  he  was  afraid  of  tottering,  and  desired  to  go  away 
as  he  had  come,  with  a  firm  gait  and  calm  expression.  He 
particularly  disliked  having  to  pass  his  old  friends  and 
associates,  whose  straining  ears  and  staring  eyes  had  not  lost 
a  point  of  what  had  taken  place.  So  for  a  few  moments 
longer  he  let  his  glance  wander  over  the  room,  feigning  perfect 
indifference.  He  was  thinking  over  what  had  happened. 
Another  act  of  his  political  life  had  come  to  a  conclusion.  He 
had  fallen,  undermined,  eaten  away  and  ruined  by  his  band. 
His  heavy  shoulders  had  collapsed  beneath  the  weight  of  the 
responsibilities  he  had  assumed,  the  acts  of  folly  and  injustice 
which  he  had  perpetrated  entirely  on  their  account  in  his 
braggart  craving  to  be  a  feared  and  generous  chief.  And  his 
mighty  muscles  only  made  his  fall  the  more  ignominious. 
The  very  conditions  on  which  he  had  held  power  :  the  neces- 
sity of  having  behind  him  a  crowd  of  greedy  appetites  whose 
longings  he  must  satisfy,  of  maintaining  himself  in  his  position 


334  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

by  dint  of  abusing  his  credit,  had  made  his  fall  merely  a 
question  of  time.  And  he  now  recalled  the  slow  efforts  of  his 
band,  whose  sharp  teeth  had  day  by  day  nibbled  away  some 
of  his  authority.  They  had  thronged  around  him,  hung  on  to 
his  knees,  then  to  his  breast,  then  to  his  throat,  and  finally 
they  had  choked  him.  They  had  availed  themselves  of  him 
in  every  way.  They  had  used  his  feet  to  climb  with,  his 
hands  to  plunder  with,  his  jaws  to  devour  with.  They  had,  so 
to  say,  used  his  body  as  their  own,  used  it  for  their  personal 
gratification,  indulging  in  every  fancy  without  a  thought  of 
the  morrow.  And  now,  having  drained  his  body,  and  hearing 
its  frame-work  crack,  they  abandoned  him  like  rats,  whom 
instinct  warns  of  the  approaching  collapse  of  a  house,  the 
foundations  of  which  they  have  undermined.  They  were  all 
sleek  and  flourishing,  and  they  were  already  battening  upon 
some  one  else.  M.  Kahn  had  just  sold  his  i  ail  way  line  from 
Niort  to  Angers  to  M.  de  Marsy.  In  another  week  the 
colonel  would  be  gazetted  to  an  appointment  in  the  imperial 
palaces.  M.  Bouchard  had  received  a  formal  promise  that 
his  proUge,  the  interesting  Georges  Duchesne,  should  be 
appointed  assistant  head  clerk  as  soon  as  Delestang  entered 
upon  his  duties  at  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior.  Madame 
Correur  was  rejoicing  over  a  serious  illness  which  had  fallen 
on  Madame  Martineau,  and  already  pictured  herself  residing 
in  her  house  at  Coulonges,  where  she  would  live  comfortably, 
and  play  the  part  of  a  lady  bountiful.  M.  Bejuin,  on  his  side, 
was  certain  of  the  Emperor  visiting  his  cut-glass  woiks 
towards  the  autumn  ;  and,  lastly,  M.  d'Escorailles,  after  being 
seriously  lectured  by  his  parents,  was  rendering  homage  to 
Clorinde  and  winning  a  sub -prefecture  merely  by  the  look  of 
admiration  with  which  he  watched  her  carrying  glasses  about 
the  refreshment  room.  And  Rougon,  as  he  glanced  at  his 
glutted  band,  felt  as  though  he  had  grown  smaller,  whereas 
they  had  attained  to  huge  proportions,  and  were  crushing  him 
beneath  their  weight.  And  he  did  not  dare  to  rise  from  his 
seat,  for  fear  lest  he  should  see  them  smile  if  he  happened  to 
totter. 

By  degrees,  however,  he  grew  more  collected  and  then  he 
at  last  stood  up.  And  he  was  pushing  the  little  zinc  table 
aside  to  give  himself  room  to  pass,  when  Delestang  entered 
the  refreshment  room  on  Count  de  Marsy' s  arm.  There  was 
a  very  curious  story  in  circulation  about  the  latter.  If  certain 
whisperings  were  to  be  believed,  he  had  gone  to  Fontainebleau 


CLORIA'DE'S  REVEXGE  335 

the  previous  week,  while  Clorinde  was  there,  solely  to  facilitate 
the  young  woman's  assignations  with  the  Emperor,  by  enter- 
taining and  amusing  the  Empress,  so  as  to  divert  her 
attention.  To  most  people  this  seemed  merely  a  piquant 
incident ;  hut  Rougon  fancied  he  could  detect  in  it  a  piece  of 
revenge  on  the  part  of  the  Count,  who  had  leagued  himself 
with  Clorinde  to  bring  about  his  fall,  thus  turning  against 
him  the  very  weapons  which  had  been  successfully  employed 
against  himself  some  time  previously  at  Compiegne.  At  all 
events,  the  Count,  since  his  return  from  Fontainebleau,  had 
kept  perpetually  in  Delestang's  company. 

M.  Kahn,  M.  Bejuin,  the  colonel,  indeed  the  whole 
coterie,  received  the  new  minister  with  open  arms.  His 
appointment  would  not  be  oflicially  notified  in  the  Moniteur 
till  the  following  morning,  when  it  would  appear  beneath  the 
announcement  of  Rougon's  resignation,  but  the  decree  was 
signed,  and  so  they  were  at  liberty  to  triumph.  They  greeted 
him  with  much  vigorous  handshaking,  grinning,  and  whispered 
congratulation  ;  indeed  the  presence  of  the  crowd  alone  kept 
their  enthusiasm  within  bounds.  It  was  a  gradual  assump- 
tion of  possession  on  the  part  of  intimates,  who  Idss  one's 
bands  and  one's  feet  before  making  one's  entire  body  their 
prey.  They  already  considered  that  Delestang  belonged  to 
them.  One  of  them  was  holding  him  by  the  right  arm, 
another  by  the  left ;  a  third  had  grasped  one  of  the  buttons 
of  his  coat,  while  a  fourth,  standing  behind  him,  craned 
forward  and  breathed  words  of  praise  to  the  nape  of  his 
neck.  Delestang,  on  his  side,  held  his  handsome  head  erect 
with  affable  dignity,  preserving  the  stately  yet  imbecile  de- 
meanour of  some  monarch  on  his  travels,  such  as  one  sees 
in  official  prints,  receiving  bouquets  from  the  ladies  of  petty 
towns.  Rougon  looked  at  the  group,  very  pale  and  stung  to 
the  quick  by  this  triumph  of  mediocrity,  and  yet  he  could  not 
restrain  a  smile.     He  remembered. 

*  I  always  predicted  that  Delestang  would  go  a  long  way,' 
he  said  with  a  subtle  expression  to  Count  de  Marsy,  who  had 
stepped  up  to  him  with  outstretched  hand. 

The  Count  replied  by  a  slight  pout  instinct  with  delicate 
irony.  He  had  doubtless  had  much  amusement  since  he  had 
struck  up  a  friendship  with  Delestang  after  rendering  certain 
services  to  his  wife.  He  detained  Rougon  for  a  moment, 
evincing  the  most  refined  politeness.  Constant  rivals  as  they 
were,  antagonists  by  reason  of  their  very  temperaments,  these 


336  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

two  skilful  men  saluted  each  other  at  the  termination  of  each 
of  their  duels,  like  enemies  of  equal  strength  who  looked 
forward  to  an  endless  succession  of  return  combats.  Rougon 
had  previously  wounded  Marsy  ;  Marsy  had  now  wounded 
Rougon  ;  and  so  it  would  go  on  until  one  or  other  of  them 
should  be  left  dead  on  the  field.  It  is  possible  that  neither 
would  have  cared  to  see  the  other  absolutely  ruined,  for  their 
rivalry  was  at  once  a  source  of  amusement  and  occupation. 
And,  moreover,  they  vaguely  felt  that  they  were  counterpoises 
necessary  for  the  equilibrium  of  the  Empire ;  one  the  shaggy 
fist  which  killed  by  a  knock-down  blow,  the  other  the  slender 
gloved  hand  which  clutched  the  throat  and  strangled. 

However,  Delestang  was  a  prey  to  painful  embarrassment. 
He  had  seen  Rougon,  but  he  did  not  know  whether  he  ought 
to  step  up  and  shake  hands  with  him.  In  his  perplexity,  he 
glanced  at  Clorinde,  who  seemed  absorbed  in  her  duties  and 
indifferent  to  everything  else.  She  was  now  hurrying  about 
the  room  with  sandwiches  and  pastry.  However,  her  husband 
thought  he  could  gather  instruction  from  a  glance  she  cast  at 
him,  so  he  at  last  advanced  towards  Rougon,  nervous  and 
seeking  to  justify  himself. 

'  I  hope,  my  dear  friend,  that  you  don't  bear  me  any  ill 
will,'  he  said.  '  I  refused  at  first,  but  they  forced  me  to 
accept.     There  are  demands,  you  know— — ' 

But  Rougon  interrupted  him.  The  Emperor  had  acted  in 
his  wisdom,  and  the  country  would  find  itself  in  excellent 
hands. 

At  this  Delestang  took  courage.  'I  said  all  I  could  in 
your  defence,'  he  continued.  '  We  all  did.  But  really, 
between  ourselves,  you  had  gone  a  little  too  far.  The 
greatest  grievance  against  you  was  what  you  did  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Charbonnel  affair ;  the  matter  of  those  poor 
Sisters,  you  know ' 

M.  de  Marsy  restrained  a  smile. 

'  Oh,  yes,  the  perquisition  at  the  convent,'  replied  Rougon, 
with  all  the  good  humour  of  his  successful  days.  *  Well, 
really,  among  the  various  acts  of  folly  which  my  friends  led 
me  to  commit,  that  was  perhaps  the  only  sensible  and  just  act 
of  my  five  months  of  power.' 

He  was  already  going  off,  when  he  noticed  Du  Poizat 
come  in  and  seize  hold  of  Delestang.  The  prefect  pretended 
not  to  see  him.  For  the  last  three  days  he  had  been  hiding 
in  Paris  and  waiting.     And  apparently  he  was  now  successful 


CLORINDE'S  REVENGE  337 

in  his  request  to  be  transferred  to  another  prefecture,  for  he 
began  to  express  the  most  profuse  thanks  with  a  wolfish  smile 
which  revealed  his  irregular  white  teeth.  Then,  on  the  new 
minister  turning  round,  Merle,  whom  Madame  Correur  had 
just  pushed  forward,  almost  fell  into  his  arms.  The  usher 
kept  his  eyes  lowered,  like  a  big  bashful  girl,  while  Madame 
Correur  spoke  warmly  in  his  favour. 

'  He  is  not  a  favourite  in  the  office,'  she  murmured, 
'  because  he  protested  by  his  silence  against  abuses  of 
authority ;  and  he  saw  some  very  strange  ones  under  Mon- 
sieur Eougon  ! ' 

'  Yes,  yes  ;  very  strange  ones  indeed,'  added  Merle.  *  I 
could  tell  a  long  story  about  them.  Monsieur  Eougon  won't 
be  much  regretted.  I've  no  reason  to  love  him  myself.  It 
was  all  through  him  that  I  was  nearly  turned  adrift.' 

Eougon  heard  none  of  this  ;  he  was  already  slowly  passing 
down  the  great  hall,  where  the  stalls  were  now  quite  denuded 
of  their  wares.  To  please  the  Empress,  who  was  the  patroness 
of  the  charity,  the  visitors  had  carried  everything  aAvay ;  and 
the  delighted  stall-holders  were  talking  of  opening  again  in 
the  evening  with  a  fresh  supply  of  goods.  They  counted  up 
the  money  they  had  taken,  and  different  sums  were  shouted 
out  amidst  peals  of  triumphant  laughter.  One  lady  had 
taken  three  thousand  francs,  another  seven  thousand,  and 
another  ten  thousand.  The  last  was  radiant  with  delight  at 
having  made  so  much  money. 

Madame  de  Combelot,  however,  was  in  despair.  She  had 
just  disposed  of  her  last  rose,  and  yet  customers  were  still 
thronging  round  her  kiosk.  She  stepped  out  of  it  to  ask 
Madame  Bouchard  if  she  could  not  give  her  something  to  sell, 
no  matter  what.  But  the  latter's  lucky-wheel  had  likewise 
disposed  of  everything.  A  lady  had  just  carried  off  the  last 
prize,  a  doll's  washing-basin.  However,  they  obstinately 
hunted  about,  and  at  last  found  a  bundle  of  tooth-picks,  which 
had  fallen  on  the  ground.  Madame  de  Combelot  carried 
it  off  with  a  shout  of  triumph.  Madame  Bouchard  followed 
her,  and  they  both  mounted  into  the  kiosk. 

'  Gentlemen  !  gentlemen  ! '  cried  Madame  de  Combelot 
boldly,  standing  up,  and  collecting  the  men  together  with  a 
beckoning  sweep  of  her  bare  arm.  '  This  is  all  that  we  have 
left,  a  bundle  of  tooth-picks.  There  are  twenty-five  of  them. 
I  shall  put  them  up  to  auction.' 

The  men  jostled  one  another,  laughing,  and  waving  their 

z 


338  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

gloved  hands  in  the  air.     Madame  de  Combelot's  idea  was 
hailed  with  great  enthusiasm. 

'  A  tooth-pick  ! '  she  now  cried.  '  "We'll  start  it  at  five 
francs.    Now,  gentlemen,  five  francs ! ' 

'  Ten  francs ! '  said  a  voice. 

'  Twelve  francs  ! ' 

'  Fifteen  francs  ! ' 

However,  on  ]\I.  d'Escorailles  suddenly  going  up  to  a  bid 
of  twenty-five  francs,  Madaiiae  Bouchard  quickly  called  out  in 
her  fluty  voice  :  '  Sold  for  twenty-five  francs  ! ' 

The  other  tooth-picks  fetched  still  higher  prices.  M.  La 
Eouquette  paid  forty-three  francs  for  the  one  that  was 
knocked  down  to  him.  Chevalier  Eusconi,  who  had  just  made 
his  appearance,  bid  as  much  as  seventy-two  francs  for  another 
one.  And  eventually  the  very  last,  a  very  small  one,  which 
was  split,  as  Madame  Combelot  kindly  announced,  not  wishing 
to  impose  upon  her  audience,  was  knocked  down  for  a  hundred 
and  seventeen  francs  to  an  old  gentleman  whose  eyes  glistened 
at  the  sight  of  the  young  woman's  heaving  bosom,  as  she 
vigorously  plied  the  calling  of  auctioneer. 

'  It  is  split,  gentlemen,  but  it  is  still  a  serviceable  article. 
We've  got  to  a  hundred  and  eight  francs  for  it.  A  hundred 
and  ten  are  bid  over  there  !  a  hundred  and  eleven  !  a  hundred 
and  twelve  !  a  hundred  and  thirteen  !  a  hundred  and  fourteen  ! 
Come,  a  hundred  and  fourteen  !  It's  worth  more  than  that, 
gentlemen  !  A  hundred  and  seventeen !  A  hundred  and 
seventeen  !  Won't  any  one  bid  any  more  ?  Sold,  then,  for  a 
hundred  and  seventeen  francs  ! ' 

Pursued  by  these  figures,  Rougon  left  the  hall.  He 
slackened  his  steps  when  he  reached  the  terrace  overlooking 
the  river.  Stormy-looking  clouds  were  rising  in  the  distance. 
Below  him,  the  Seine,  greasy  and  dirty  green,  flowed  slug- 
gishly past  the  pale  quays,  along  which  the  dust  was  sweep- 
ing. In  the  Tuileries  gardens,  puft's  of  hot  air  shook  the 
trees,  whose  branches  fell  languidly,  lifelessly,  without  a  quiver 
of  their  leaves.  Rougon  took  his  way  beneath  the  tall  chest- 
nuts. It  was  almost  quite  dark  there,  and  the  atmosphere 
was  damp  and  clammy  like  that  of  a  vault.  As  he  emerged 
into  the  main  avenue,  he  saw  the  Charbonnels  sitting  on  a 
bench.  They  were  quite  transformed,  magnificent.  The 
husband  wore  light-coloured  trousers  and  a  frock-coat  fitting 
tightly  at  the  waist,  while  his  wife  sported  a  light  mantle  over 
a  robe  of  hlac  silk,  and  her  bonnet  was  ornamented  with  red 


CLORINDE'S  REVENGE  339 

flowers.  Astride  one  end  of  the  bench,  however,  there  was  a 
ragged,  shirtless  fellow,  wearing  a  wretched  old  shooting- jacket. 
He  was  gesticulating  energetically,  and  gradually  drawing 
nearer  to  the  Charbonnels.  It  was  Gilquin.  Administering 
frequent  slaps  to  his  canvas  cap,  which  kept  on  slipping  off 
his  head,  he  exclaimed :  '  They're  a  parcel  of  scoundrels. 
Has  Theodore  ever  tried  to  cheat  any  one  out  of  a  single 
copper?  They  invented  a  fine  story  about  a  military  sub- 
stitute in  order  to  ruin  me.  Then,  of  course,  as  you  can 
understand,  I  left  them  to  get  on  as  they  could  without  me. 
Ah  !  they  are  afraid  of  me  !  They  know  very  well  what  my 
political  opinions  are.  I  have  never  belonged  to  Badinguet's 
gang.  I  only  regret  one  person  down  there,'  he  continued  in 
a  lower  tone,  leaning  forward  and  rolling  his  eyes  sentimen- 
tally. '  Ah  !  such  an  adorable  woman,  a  lady  of  society  !  She 
was  fair.  I  had  some  of  her  hair  given  me.'  Then,  edging 
himself  up  to  Madame  Charbonnel,  he  broke  into  a  loud  voice 
again,  and  tapped  her  on  the  knee.  '  Well,  old  lady,  when 
are  you  going  to  take  me  with  you  to  Plassans  to  taste  those 
preserves  of  yours  — the  apples  and  the  cherries  and  the  jam  ? 
You've  got  your  nest  pretty  well  lined  now,  eh  ?  ' 

But  the  Charbonnels  seemed  to  be  much  annoyed  by 
Gilquin's  familiarity.  '  We  are  stopping  in  Paris  for  some 
time,'  rephed  Madame  Charbonnel,  stiffly,  while  gathering  up 
her  lilac  silk  dress.  '  We  shall  probably  spend  six  months 
here  every  year.' 

'  Ah,  yes,'  added  her  husband  with  an  air  of  profound 
admiration,  '  Paris  is  the  only  place  ! '  Then  as  the  gusts  of 
wind  became  stronger,  and  a  troop  of  nurses  with  children 
passed  hastily  through  the  garden,  he  resumed,  turning  to  his 
■  wife,  '  We  had  better  be  getting  home  my  dear,  if  we  don't 
want  to  be  soaked  through.  Fortunately,  we  have  only  a  step 
or  two  to  take.' 

They  were  now  staying  at  the  Hotel  du  Palais  Royal  in 
the  Rue  de  Rivoli.  Gilquin  watched  them  go  off,  shrugging 
his  shoulders  contemptuously.  '  So  they  leave  me  in  the 
lurch  too  ! '  he  muttered.     '  Ab,  they're  all  alike.' 

But  then  he  suddenly  caught  sight  of  Rougon,  and,  rising 
with  a  swagger,  he  waited  for  him  to  pass.  '  I  haven't  been 
to  see  you  yet,'  he  said,  again  tapping  his  cap.  '  I  hope 
you're  not  offended.  That  mountebank  Du  Poizat  has  told 
you  some  fine  stories  about  me,  I  dare  say.  But  they  are  all 
lies,  ray  good  fellow,  as  I  can  prove  to  you  whenever  you  hke. 

2  3 


340  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

Well,  for  my  part  I  dcn't  bear  you  any  ill  will ;  and  I'll  prove 
it  by  giving  you  my  address,  25  Kue  du  Bon  Puits,  at  La 
Chapelle,  five  minutes'  walk  from  the  barrier.  So  if  I  can 
be  of  any  further  use  to  you,  you  see,  you  have  merely  to  let 
me  know,' 

Then  he  walked  away  with  a  slouching  gait.  For  a 
moment  he  glanced  round  as  if  taking  his  bearings,  and  then, 
shaking  his  fist  at  the  Tuileries,  which  showed  grey  and 
gloomy  beneath  the  black  sky  at  the  end  of  the  avenue,  he 
cried  :  '  Long  live  the  Republic  ! ' 

Rougon  passed  out  of  the  garden  and  went  up  the  Champs 
Elysees.  He  experienced  a  strong  desire  to  go  and  look  at 
his  little  house  in  the  Rue  Marbeuf .  He  intended  to  quit  hig 
official  residence  on  the  morrow  and  again  instal  himself  in 
his  old  home.  He  felt  tired  but  calm,  with  just  a  slight 
pain  in  the  depths  of  his  being.  He  already  dreamt  hazily 
of  some  day  proving  his  powers  by  again  doing  great  things. 
Every  now  and  then,  too,  he  raised  his  head  and  looked  at 
the  sky.  The  rain  did  not  seem  inclined  to  come  down  just 
yet,  though  the  horizon  was  streaked  with  coppery  clouds, 
and  loud  claps  of  thunder  travelled  over  the  deserted  avenue 
of  the  Champs  Elysees,  with  a  crash  like  that  of  some 
detachment  of  artillery  at  full  gallop.  The  crests  of  the 
trees  shook  with  the  reverberation.  As  Rougon  turned 
the  corner  of  the  Rue  Marbeuf  the  first  drops  of  rain  began 
to  fall. 

A  brougham  was  standing  in  front  of  the  house,  and 
Rougon  found  his  wife  examining  the  rooms,  measuring  the 
windows  and  giving  orders  to  an  upholsterer.  He  felt  much 
surprised,  but  she  exj)lained  to  him  that  she  had  just  seen  her 
brother,  M.  Beulin-d'Orchere.  The  judge,  who  had  already 
heard  of  Rougon' s  fall,  had  desired  to  overwhelm  his  sister, 
and  after  informing  her  of  his  approaching  assumption  of 
office  as  Minister  of  Justice,  he  had  again  tried  to  create  dis- 
cord between  her  and  her  husband.  Madame  Rougon,  how- 
ever, had  merely  ordered  her  brougham  to  be  got  ready,  so 
that  she  might  at  once  prepare  for  removal  into  their  old 
house.  She  still  retained  a  calm,  pale,  nun-like  face,  the 
unchangeable  serenity  of  a  good  housewife.  And  with  faint 
steps  she  went  through  the  rooms,  again  taking  possession  of 
that  house  which  she  had  indued  with  such  cloistral  quietude. 
Her  only  thought  was  to  administer  like  a  faithful  stewardess 
the  fortune  which  had  been  entrusted  to  her.     Rougon  felt 


CLORINDE'S  REVENGE  341 

quite  touched  at  the  sight  of  her  spare  withered  face  and  all 
her  scrupulous  attention. 

However,  the  storm  now  burst  with  tremendous  violence. 
The  thunder  pealed  and  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents. 
Eougon  was  obliged  to  remain  there  for  nearly  three  quarters 
of  an  hour,  for  he  wanted  to  walk  back.  When  he  set  out 
again  the  Champs  Elysees  was  a  mass  of  mud,  yellow  liquid 
mud,  which  stretched  from  the  Arc  de  Triomphe  to  the  Place 
de  la  Concorde  like  the  bed  of  a  freshly  drained  river.  In  the 
avenue  there  were  but  few  pedestrians,  who  carefully  picked 
their  way  along  the  kerbstones.  The  trees  stood  dripping  in 
the  calm  fresh  air.  Overhead  in  the  heavens  the  storm  had 
left  a  trail  of  ragged  coppery  clouds,  a  low  murky  veil,  from 
which  fell  a  glimmer  of  weird,  mournful  light. 

Eougon  had  again  lapsed  into  his  dreams  for  the  future. 
He  felt  stiff  and  bruised,  as  though  he  had  come  into  violent 
collision  with  some  obstacle  that  had  blocked  his  progress. 
But  suddenly  he  heard  a  loud  noise  behind  him,  the  approach 
of  galloping  hoofs  which  made  the  ground  tremble.  He 
turned  to  see  what  it  could  be. 

It  was  a  cortege  dashing  through  the  mire  of  the  roadway 
beneath  the  faint  glimmer  of  the  coppery  sky,  a  corUge  re- 
turning from  the  Bois  and  illumining  the  dimness  of  the 
Champs  Elysees  with  the  brilliance  of  uniforms.  In  front 
and  behind  galloped  detachments  of  dragoons.  And  in  the 
centre  there  was  a  closed  landau  drawn  by  four  horses  and 
flanked  by  two  mounted  equerries  in  gorgeous  gold-em- 
broidered uniforms,  each  of  them  imperturbably  enduring 
the  splashing  of  the  mire,  which  was  covering  them  from  their 
high  boots  to  their  cocked  hats.  And  inside  the  dim  closed 
carriage  only  a  child  was  to  be  seen,  the  Prince  Imperial,  who 
gazed  out  of  the  window,  with  his  ten  fingers  and  his  red 
nose  pressed  to  the  glass. 

'  Hallo,  it's  the  little  chap  I  '  said  a  road-sweeper,  with  a 
smile,  as  he  trundled  his  barrow  along. 

Rougon  had  halted,  looking  thoughtful,  and  his  eyes 
followed  the  cortkje  as  it  hurried  away  through  the  splashing 
puddles,  speckling  even  the  lower  leaves  of  the  trees  with  all 
the  mire  it  raised. 


542  HIS  EXCELLENCY 


XIV 

TRANSFORMATION 

One  day  in  March,  three  years  later,  there  was  a  very  stormy 
sitting  in  the  Corps  Legislatif.  The  privilege  of  presenting 
an  address  to  the  Crown  had  been  conceded  by  the  Emperor, 
and,  for  the  first  time,  this  address  was  being  discussed. 

M.  La  Rouquette  and  M.  de  Lamberthon,  an  old  deputy, 
and  the  husband  of  a  charming  wife,  sat  opposite  one  another 
in  the  '  buvette  '  or  refreshment  room,  quietly  drinking  grog. 
'  Well,  shall  we  go  back  into  the  Chamber  ?  '  said  Lamber- 
thon, who  had  been  straining  his  ear  to  listen.  '  I  fancy 
things  are  getting  pretty  warm  there.' 

Every  now  and  then  indeed  one  heard  distant  shouting,  a 
sudden  roar  like  some  squall  of  wind,  but  afterwards  complete 
silence  ensued.  M.  La  Rouquette  continued  smoking  with  an 
air  of  utter  indifference.  'Oh,  we  needn't  go  just  yet,'  he 
said  ;  '  I  want  to  finish  my  cigar.  They'll  let  us  know  if  we 
are  wanted.     I  told  them  to  do  so.' 

La  Rouquette  and  Lamberthon  were  the  only  members 
then  in  the  '  buvette,'  a  sort  of  smart  little  cafe  established  at 
the  end  of  the  narrow  garden  at  the  corner  of  the  quay  and 
the  Rue  de  Bourgogne.  Painted  a  soft  green,  covered  with 
bamboo  trellis -work,  and  having  large  windows  that  opened 
right  on  to  the  garden,  the  place  looked  like  some  conser- 
vatory transformed  into  a  refreshment  room  for  a  garden 
party.  It  was  panelled  with  mirrors  ;  the  tables  and  counter 
were  of  red  marble,  and  the  seats  were  upholstered  with  green 
rep.  One  of  the  windows  was  open,  and  through  it  there 
came  the  soft  air  of  the  lovely  spring  afternoon,  freshened  by 
the  breezes  from  the  Seine. 

'  The  Italian  war  filled  the  cup  of  his  glory,'  said  M.  La 
Rouquette,  continuing  a  conversation  that  had  been  inter- 
rupted. '  To-day,  in  conferring  liberty  on  the  country,  he 
displays  all  the  greatness  of  his  genius.' 

He  was  speaking  of  the  Emperor,  and  he  went  on  to 
extol   the  provisions  of  the  November  decrees,'  the  more 

'  November  24  and  27,  1860.    These  decrees  gave  the  right  of  pie- 
senting  an  address ;   promised  the  Legislature  full  explanationa  on 


77?^  .YSFORAfA  TION  343 

direct  participation  of  the  great  state  bodies  in  the  policy  of 
the  sovereign,  and  the  creation  of  ministers  without  depart- 
ments for  the  purpose  of  representing  the  government  in  the 
Chambers.  It  was  a  return  to  constitutional  government,  he 
said,  in  all  its  most  wholesome  and  desirable  features.  A 
new  era,  that  of  the  liberal  Empire,  was  beginning.  Then 
he  knocked  the  ash  from  his  cigar  in  a  transport  of  en- 
thusiasm. 

But  M.  de  Lamberthon  shook  his  head.  '  I'm  afraid  the 
Emperor  has  gone  rather  too  fast,'  he  said,  *  It  would  have 
been  better  to  have  waited  a  httle  longer  ,  there  was  no  pres- 
sing hurry.' 

*  Oh,  yes,  I  assure  you  there  was.  It  was  quite  necessary 
to  do  something,'  replied  the  young  deputy  with  animation. 
'  It  is  just  in  that  respect  that  his  genius ' 

Then  he  lowered  his  voice,  and  with  a  profound  expression 
began  to  explain  the  political  situation.  The  charges  issued 
by  the  bishops  on  the  subject  of  the  Pope's  temporal  power, 
which  was  threatened  by  the  government  of  Turin,  were 
greatly  disturbing  the  Emperor.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
opposition  was  growing  more  active,  and  an  uneasy  thrill  was 
passing  through  the  country.  So  the  moment  had  come  for 
making  an  attempt  to  reconcile  the  different  parties,  and  win 
political  malcontents  over  by  wise  concessions.  La  Eouquette 
now  considered  that  the  despotic  Empire  had  been  very  de- 
fective; whereas  the  liberal  Empire  would  be  a  blaze  of  glory, 
illumining  the  whole  of  Europe. 

*  Well,  I'm  still  of  opinion  that  he  has  gone  too  fast,' 
repeated  M.  de  Lamberthon,  again  shaking  his  head.  '  It's  all 
very  well  to  talk  about  the  liberal  Empire ;  but  the  liberal 
Empire  is  the  Unknown,  my  dear  sir ;  the  Unknown,  the 
Unknown * 

He  thrice  repeated  this  expression,  each  time  in  a  diffe- 
rent tone,  and  waving  his  hand  in  the  air.  M.  La  Eou- 
quette  said  nothing  further ;  he  was  finishing  his  grog. 
However,  they  still  sat  where  they  were,  gazing  blankly  out 
of  the  open  window,  as  though  they  were  looking  for  the 
unknown  fate  of  the  liberal  Empire  across  the  quay,  in 
the  direction  of  the  Tuileries,  where  hung  a  thick  grey 
haze.      Behind    them,   beyond    the   lobbies,   the   hurricane 

questions  of  home  and  foreign  policy  ;  and  made  certain  provisions  to 
enable  the  deputies  to  present  amendments  to  Government  bills.— £J, 


344  tllS  EXCELLENCY 

of  voices  rose  afresh,  with  the  uproar  of  an  approaching 
storm. 

M.  de  Laniberfchon  turned  his  head  uneasily.  '  It's 
Kougon  who  is  going  to  reply,  isn't  it  ? '  he  asked  after  a 
pause. 

'  Yes,  I  believe  so,'  replied  M.  La  Rouquette  with  an  air 
of  reserve. 

'  He  was  very  much  compromised,'  the  old  deputy  con- 
tinued. '  The  Emperor  has  made  a  singular  choice  in 
appointing  him  as  a  minister  without  department,  and  com- 
missioning him  to  defend  his  new  poliqy.' 

M.  La  iiouquette  did  not  immediately  express  an  opinion, 
but  slowly  stroked  his  fair  moustache.  *  The  Emperor  knows 
Rougon,'  he  said  at  last. 

Then  in  quite  a  different  tone  he  exclaimed  :  *  I  say, 
these  grogs  were  not  up  to  much.  I'm  dreadfully  thirsty, 
I  think  I  shall  have  a  glass  of  syrup  and  water.' 

He  ordered  ono,  and,  after  some  hesitation,  M.  de 
Lamberthon  decided  that  he  would  have  a  glass  of  Madeira. 
Then  they  began  to  talk  of  Madame  de  Lamberthon,  and  the 
old  deputy  chided  his  young  colleague  for  the  rarity  of  his 
visits.  The  latter  was  lounging  back  on  the  settee,  furtively 
admiring  himself  in  the  mirrors,  quite  pleased  by  the  soft 
green  tint  of  the  walls,  and  the  general  freshness  of  the 
buvette,  which  seemed  almost  like  a  Pompadour  arbour 
reared  in  some  princely  forest  for  love  assignations. 

However,  an  usher  suddenly  came  in,  almost  breathless. 
'  Monsieur  La  Rouquette,  you  are  wanted  immediately — im- 
mediately !  '  he  gasped. 

Then,  as  the  young  deputy  made  a  gesture  of  vexation,  the 
usher  stooped  and  whispered  that  he  had  been  sent  by  M.  de 
Marsy,  the  President  of  the  Chamber,  himself.  And  he 
added  in  a  louder  tone,  '  Everybody  is  wanted  ;  so  come  at 
once.' 

M.  de  Lamberthon  at  once  rushed  oft'  in  the  direction  of 
the  Chamber  and  M.  La  Rouquette  was  following  him,  when 
he  appeared  to  change  his  mind.  It  had  indeed  occurred  to 
him  that  it  might  be  advisable  to  hunt  up  all  the  deputies 
lounging  in  different  parts  of  the  building,  and  send  them 
back  to  their  places.  So  he  hastened  first  into  the  Conference 
Hall,  a  beautiful  apartment  lighted  by  a  glazed  roof  and 
bnasting  a  huge  chimney-piece  of  green  marble,  ornamented 
with  two  white  marble  female  figures,  nude  and  recumbent. 


TRANSPORMATION  345 

Despite  the  warmth  of  the  afternoon,  a  great  wood  fire  was 
burning  there.  At  the  hirge  table  sat  three  deputies  with 
sleepy  eyes,  which  wandered  over  the  pictures  on  the  walls  and 
the  famous  clock,  which  was  only  wound  up  once  a  year.  A 
fourth  deputy,  who  had  installed  himself  at  the  fire,  so  as 
to  warm  his  back,  seemed  to  be  gazing  with  emotion  at  a 
plaster  statuette  of  Henri  IV.  which  at  the  other  end  of  the 
room  stood  out  against  a  trophy  of  Austrian  and  Prussism 
standards  captured  at  Marengo,  Austerlitz,  and  Jena.  As 
M.  La  Rouquette  went  from  one  to  the  other  of  his  colleagues, 
bidding  them  at  once  hurry  to  the  Chamber,  they  stai  ted  up 
as  if  suddenly  awakened,  and  hastened  away  in  procession. 

In  his  enthusiasm.  La  Rouquette  was  already  rushing  off 
to  the  library,  when  it  occurred  to  him  that  it  would  be  as  well 
to  glance  into  the  lavatory.  There  he  found  M.  de  Combelot, 
who,  with  his  hands  plunged  in  a  large  basin,  was  gently 
rubbing  them,  and  smiling  admiringly  at  their  whiteness. 
He  did  not  show  the  least  excitement,  but  said  that  he  would 
return  to  his  seat  in  a  moment.  Before  doing  so,  however,  he 
lingered  for  some  time  wiping  his  hands  on  a  warm  towel, 
which  he  then  replaced  in  the  copper-doored  stove.  And 
finally  he  took  his  stand  before  a  lofty  mirror,  and  carefully 
combed  his  handsome  black  beard. 

There  was  no  one  in  the  library,  which  La  Rouquette  next 
visited.  The  books  were  slumbering  on  their  oak  shelves ;  the 
two  huge  tables  with  covers  of  green  cloth  stood  severely 
bare ;  and  the  book-rests  attached  to  the  arms  of  the 
chairs  were  folded  back,  and  covered  with  a  slight  coating 
of  dust. 

'  There  is  never  any  one  here  ! '  exclaimed  La  Rouquette  in 
a  loud  voice  which  sounded  quite  strange  amid  all  the  silence 
and  solitude  ;  and  having  closed  the  door  with  a  bang  he  went 
on  searching  a  series  of  passages  and  halls.  He  crossed  the 
Distribution  Hall,  floored  with  marble  from  the  Pyrenees, 
where  his  footsteps  echoed  as  though  he  had  been  walking 
through  a  church.  And  an  usher  having  told  him  that  a 
deputy  he  knew,  M.  de  la  Villardiere,  was  showing  the  palace 
to  a  lady  and  gentleman,  he  obstinately  set  about  finding  him. 
He  hastened  into  the  severe-looking  vestibule  known  as 
General  Foy's  Hall,  where  the  statues  of  Mirabeau,  Foy, 
Bailly,  and  Casimir  Perier  invariably  command  the  respectful 
admiration  of  country  visitors.  And,  near  by,  in  the  Throne 
Room,  he  at  last  discovered  M.  de  la  Villardiere,  with  a  fat 


346         .  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

lady  on  one  side  of  him  and  a  fat  gentleman  on  the  other, 
an  influential  elector  and  notary  of  Dijon  and  his  wife. 

'  You  are  wanted,'  said  M.  La  Eouquette.  '  Quick  to  your 
place,  eh  ?  ' 

'  Yes,  I'll  go  at  once,'  replied  the  deputy.  But  he  could 
not  make  his  escape.  The  fat  gentleman  had  taken  his  hat 
off,  much  impressed  by  the  magnificence  of  the  hall,  with  its 
glittering  gilding  and  mirrored  panels  ;  and  he  clung  firmly  to 
his  '  dear  deputy,'  as  he  called  him,  and  would  not  let  him  go. 
He  was  asking  for  some  explanations  of  Delacroix's  paintings, 
the  great  decorative  figures  representing  the  seas  and  rivers 
of  France ;  Mediterraiieum  Mare,  Oceanus,  Ligeris,  Bhenus,. 
Sequana,  Rhodaniis,  Garumna,  Araris.  These  Latin  words 
seemed  to  puzzle  him. 

'Ligeris  is  the  Loire,'  M.  de  la  Villardiere  explained. 

The  Dijon  notary  briskly  nodded  his  head  to  signify  that 
he  understood.  Meanwhile  his  wife  was  examining  the 
throne,  an  arm-chair  slightly  higher  than  the  others,  placed  on 
a  broafi  platform.  She  stood  some  little  distance  away  from  it, 
contemplating  it  with  reverent  emotion.  Presently  she  sum- 
moned up  sutKcient  courage  to  go  nearer,  and  then,  furtively 
raising  its  covering,  she  touched  the  gilded  wood,  and  felt  the 
crimson  velvet. 

However,  M.  La  Rouquette  was  now  scouring  the  right 
wing  of  the  palace,  with  its  interminable  corridors  and  offices 
and  committee-rooms.  He  returned  by  way  of  the  Hall  of 
the  Four  Columns,  where  young  deputies  dream  of  fame 
while  gazing  at  the  statues  of  Brutus,  Solon,  and  Lycurgus. 
Then  he  cut  across  the  large  waiting  hall,  and  hastily  skirted 
a  semi-circular  gallery,  like  a  sort  of  low  crypt,  as  dim  and  as 
bare  as  a  church,  and  lighted,  day  and  night,  by  gas.  Finally, 
quite  breathless,  and  dragging  after  him  the  little  troop  of 
deputies  whom  he  had  gathered  together.  La  Rouquette 
threw  open  one  of  the  mahogany  doors  decorated  with  gold 
stars.  M.  de  Combelot,  his  hands  quite  white,  and  his  beard 
neatly  combed,  followed  him,  M.  de  la  Villardiere,  having 
made  his  escape  from  his  constituents,  came  on  close  behind, 
and  they  all  rushed  together  into  the  assembly  hall  where  the 
other  deputies  stood  erect  in  their  places,  furiously  shouting 
and  waving  their  arms  at  a  member  in  the  tribune  who 
seemed  altogether  unmoved  by  their  cries.* 

*  Order  I  order !  order !  '  they  shouted. 
'  Jules  Favre Ed. 


TRANSFORMATION  347 

'  Order !  order !  '  cried  M.  La  Rouquette  and  his  friends, 
still  louder  than  the  others,  though  they  knew  absolutely 
nothing  of  what  was  going  on. 

The  uproar  was  frightful.  Some  deputies  were  ragefully 
stamping  their  feet,  while  others  kept  up  a  noise  like  that  of 
a  fusillade  by  violently  rattling  the  lids  of  their  desks. 
Screaming  and  yelping  voices  rose,  fifelike,  amidst  others 
which  were  gruff  and  full,  and  rumbled  on  like  an  organ 
accompaniment.  Every  now  and  then  there  was  a  slight 
lull  in  the  din,  and  then  jeers  could  be  distinguished  in  the 
subsiding  clamour,  and  some  words  even  were  plainly  heard. 

'  It  is  detestable  !  intolerable  I ' 

*  He  must  withdraw  it !  ' 

'  Yes,  yes  !  withdraw  it ! ' 

However,  the  cry  that  was  stubbornly  repeated,  which 
ever  and  ever  went  on  to  the  rhythmical  stamping  of  heels 
was  that  of  '  Order  !  order  !  order  ! '  coming  hoarsely,  huskily, 
from  a  hundred  dry  throats. 

The  deputy  in  the  tribune  had  crossed  his  arms,  and  was 
gazing  calmly  at  his  furious  colleague  s  with  barking  faces  and 
brandished  arms.  Twice,  when  the  tumult  seemed  to  subside, 
he  attempted  to  continue  his  speech,  but  each  time  that  he 
opened  his  mouth  there  came  a  renewal  of  the  tempest,  a 
fresh  outburst  of  frantic  rage.  The  din  in  the  Chamber  was 
fairly  ear-splitting. 

M.  de  ]\Iarsy,  erect  in  his  place,  with  his  hand  upon  the 
button  of  his  bell,  was  ringing  a  continuous  summons  to  silence 
amidst  the  hurricane.  His  long  pale  face  remained  perfectly 
calm.  For  a  moment  even  he  ceased  to  ring  ;  quietly  drew  down 
his  wristbands,  and  then  applied  himself  to  his  bell  again.  A 
faint,  sceptical  smile,  which  was  almost  habitual  to  him, 
played  round  his  thin  lips,  and  whenever  the  shouters  grew 
weary  he  contented  himself  with  repeating  '  Gentlemen,  allow 
me,  allow  me  ! ' 

At  last  he  obtained  comparative  silence  ;  and  then  he  re- 
sumed :  '  I  call  upon  the  member  in  the  tribune  to  explain  the 
words  he  just  made  use  of.' 

Thereupon  the  deputy  in  question,  bending  forward,  with 
his  hands  resting  on  the  edges  of  the  tribune,  repeated  his 
words,  emphasising  them  by  a  determined  movement  of  the 
chin.  '  I  said  that  what  took  place  on  the  second  of  Decem- 
ber ^  was  a  crime ' 

'  An  allusion  to  the  Coup  d'Etat  of  Dec.  2,  1851.— £d. 


348  ms  EXCELLENCY 

He  was  not  allowtd  to  proceed  further.  The  storm  broke 
out  afresh.  A  deputy  with  flushed  cheeks  called  him  a 
murderer.  Another  applied  such  a  filthy  term  to  him  that 
the  shorthand  writers  smiled  and  refrained  from  reporting  it. 
There  was  a  cross-fireof  exclamations  which  mingled  together. 
However,  M.  La  Rouquette  could  be  heard  repeating  in  his 
shrill  voice  :  '  He  is  insulting  the  Emperor!  He  is  insulting 
France  !  ' 

M.  de  Marsy  made  a  dignified  gesture  and  then  sat  down. 
*  I  call  the  speaker  to  order,'  he  said. 

A  long  interval  of  agitation  followed.  This  was  no  longer 
the  drowsy  Corps  Legislatif  which  five  years  previously  had 
voted  a  credit  of  400,000  francs  for  the  Prince  Imperial's 
baptism.  On  a  bench  to  the  left  were  four  deputies  who 
applauded  the  language  which  had  been  used  by  their  colleague 
ill  the  tribune.  There  were  now  five  of  tliem  who  attacked 
the  Empire.'  They  were  already  shaking  it  by  their  con- 
tinued efforts,  refusing  to  recognise  it  or  to  vote  for  it,  with 
an  obstinate  persistency  which  was  destined  to  gradually  rouse 
the  whole  country  against  it.  These  five  deputies  kept  erect, 
tiny  group  though  they  were,  amidst  an  overwhelming 
majority  ;  and  they  replied  to  the  threats  and  fists  and 
clamorous  browbeating  of  their  colleagues  witkout  the  least 
sign  of  discouragement,  steadfast  and  fervent  as  they  were 
in  their  desire  for  revenge. 

The  very  hall  itself,  echoing  with  all  the  feverish  excite- 
ment, seemed  to  have  been  changed.  The  tribune  beneath 
the  President's  desk  had  been  set  up  again.  The  cold  marbles 
and  pompous  columns  round  the  amphitheatre  appeared  to 
gather  warmth  from  all  the  ardent  oratory  ;  while  the  light 
that  streamed  from  the  ceiling  window  set  the  long  tiers  of 
crimson  velvet  seats  ablaze  amid  the  tempests  of  momentous 
debates.  The  massive  presidential  desk,  with  its  severe 
panels,  acquired  life  from  the  irony  and  impertinence  of  M.  de 
Marsy,  who  with  the  slim  figure  of  a  worn-out  man  of  pleasure 
showed  like  a  thin  line  against  the  bas  relief  behind  him. 
And  only  the  symbolical  statues  of  Public  Order  and  Liberty, 
in  their  niches  between  the  pairs  of  columns,  preserved  in- 
animate countenances  and  pupil-less  stony  eyes.     However, 

'  Jules  Favre,  Ernest  Picard,  Henon  (of  Lyons),  Emile  Ollivier,  and 
Alfred  Darimon.  Unhappily  the  two  last  subsequently  sold  themselves 
to  the  Empire. — Ed, 


TRANSFORMATION  349 

that  which  more  than  anything  else  imparted  increased  Hfe 
to  the  hall  was  the  much  larger  nimiher  of  spectators,  all 
excitedly  leaning  forAvard  and  eagerly  following  the  discus- 
sions. The  upper  tier  of  seats  had  now  been  revived,  and  the 
newspaper  reporters  had  a  special  gallery  to  themselves. 
High  aloft,  near  the  heavily  gilded  cornice,  numbers  of  heads 
were  craned  forward,  a  swarming,  invading  throng,  which 
occasionally  made  the  uneasy  deputies  glance  aloft,  as  though 
they  fancied  they  could  hear  the  rushing  tramp  of  the  popu- 
lace on  some  day  of  insurrection. 

However,  the  member  in  the  tribune  was  still  waiting  for 
an  opportunity  to  continue.  '  Gentlemen,  to  resume  my 
argument,'  he  said,  amidst  the  noise  which  still  rolled  on. 
Then  he  paused,  and  in  a  louder  voice,  which  made  its(-lf 
heard  above  the  tumult,  he  exclaimed  :  '  If  the  Chamber 
refuses  to  hear  me,  I  shall  leave  the  tribune  with  a  pro- 
test.' 

'  Go  on  !  Go  on  ! '  cried  several  deputies ;  and  a  thick 
husky  voice  growled  out  the  words  :  '  Go  on  ;  we  shall  know 
how  to  answer  you.'  Then,  all  at  once,  there  was  complete 
silence.  From  all  the  seats  and  galleries,  deputies  and 
spectators  craned  their  heads  forward  to  look  at  Rougon,  who 
had  just  made  this  observation.  He  sat  in  the  front  row  with 
his  elbows  resting  on  the  marble  tablet  before  him.  His 
broad  bent  back  remained  motionless  save  when  now  and  then 
he  slightly  swayed  his  shoulders.  His  face  was  buried  in  his 
hands  and  could  not  be  seen  ;  however,  he  was  listening.  His 
d&hut  was  awaited  with  great  curiosity,  for  he  had  not  yet 
spoken  since  he  had  been  appointed  a  minister  without 
portfolio.  He  probably  divined  that  many  eyes  were  fixed 
on  him,  for  at  last  he  turned  his  head  and  glanced  round  the 
Chamber.  Opposite  to  him,  in  the  ministers'  gallery,  sat 
Clorinde,  in  a  violet  dress,  with  her  elbows  resting  on  the  red 
velvet  balustrade.  She  gazed  at  him  with  her  wonted  tranquil 
boldness.  For  a  moment  their  eyes  met,  but  they  exchanged 
no  smile  of  recognition.  It  was  as  though  they  had  been 
perfect  strangers.  Then  Rougon  reverted  to  his  previous 
]tosition,  burying  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  again  listening  to 
the  opposition  deputy. 

'  Gentlemen,'  said  the  latter,  '  I  resume  my  argument. 
The  liberties  conceded  by  the  decree  of  the  twenty-fourth  of 
November  are  perfectly  illusory.  We  are  still  far  away  from 
the  principles  of  '89  which  are  so  ostentatiously  inscribed  at 


350  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

the  head  of  the  Imperial  Constitution.  If  the  government 
persists  in  arming  itself  with  exceptional  laws,  if  it  continues 
to  force  its  own  candidates  upon  the  country,  if  it  refuses  to 
free  the  press  from  arbitrary  control,  if,  in  a  word,  it  still 
keeps  France  at  its  mercy,  all  the  seeming  concessions  which 
it  may  make  mil  be  lying  ones ' 

At  this  the  President  intervened.  *  I  cannot  permit  the 
speaker  to  use  such  a  term,'  he  said. 

'  Hear,  hear !  '  cried  the  deputies  on  the  right. 

The  deputy  in  the  tribune  took  up  his  phrase  again  and 
softened  it.  He  now  strove  to  be  more  temperate  in  his 
language,  speaking  in  carefully  rounded  periods  of  great 
purity  of  style,  which  fell  from  his  lips  with  a  solemn  rhythm. 
But  M.  de  Marsy  angrily  objected  to  almost  every  expression 
he  used.  And  then  the  deputy  launched  out  into  abstract 
oratory,  vague  sentences  overladen  with  long  words,  which  so 
veiled  his  real  thoughts  that  the  President  was  obhged  to 
leave  him  alone.  However,  all  at  once  the  orator  returned 
to  his  old  manner. 

'  To  resume  what  I  was  saying.  My  friends  and  myself 
refuse  to  vote  the  first  paragraph  of  the  address  in  answer  to 
the  speech  from  the  throne ' 

'  We  can  get  on  very  well  without  you  !  '  cried  a  voice  ;  at 
which  loud  laughter  sped  along  the  benches. 

*  We  shall  not  vote  in  favour  of  the  first  paragraph  of  the 
address,'  quietly  continued  the  representative  of  the  opposition, 

*  unless  our  amendment  is  adopted.  We  cannot  join  in 
returning  exaggerated  thanks  to  the  Chief  of  the  State  when 
so  many  restrictions  are  imposed.  Liberty  is  indivisible.  It 
cannot  be  cut  up  into  fragments  and  distributed  in  rations 
like  alms.' 

At  this  fresh  shouts  arose  from  every  part  of  the  Chamber. 
'  Your  liberty  is  license  ! ' 

*  Don't  talk  about  alms  !  You  yourself  are  begging  an 
unwholesome  popularity !  ' 

'  You'd  be  cutting  off  heads  if  you  had  your  way  ! ' 

*  Our  amendment,'  continued  the  deputy  in  the  tribune,  as 
though  he  had  heard  nothing  of  these  cries,  '  asks  for  the 
repeal  of  the  Public  Safety  Act,  the  liberty  of  the  press, 
freedom  of  elections ' 

Here  there  was  another  outbreak  of  laughter.  One  mem- 
ber exclaimed,  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  his  neighbours : 

*  Ah,  my  fine  fellow,  you'll  get  nothing  of  all  that !  '  and  an- 


TRA  NSFORMA  TION  35 1 

other  made  mocldng  comments  on  every  sentence  that  dropped 
from  the  speaker's  hps.  The  greater  number,  however,  by 
way  of  amusing  themselves,  punctuated  then*  colleague's 
sentences  by  stealthily  rapping  their  paper-knives  on  their 
desks,  thus  producing  a  rattling  sound  something  like  a  roll 
of  kettledrums,  which  quite  drowned  the  speaker's  voice 
Nevertheless,  he  struggled  on  to  the  end.  Drawing  himsc  I 
up,  he  thundered  forth  his  concluding  words  in  such  wise  as 
to  be  heard  above  all  the  uproar.  '  Yes,  we  are  revolutionists, 
if  by  revolutionists  you  mean  men  of  progress,  resolved  upon 
winning  liberty.  Refuse  the  people  liberty,  and  one  day  the 
people  will  seize  it !  ' 

Then  he  descended  from  the  tribune,  amid^^t  a  fresh  out- 
burst. The  deputies  were  no  longer  laughing  like  a  lot  of 
school-boys.  They  had  risen  to  their  feet,  turning  towards 
the  left,  and  again  shouting  :  '  Order  !  order  !  '  The  member 
of  the  opposition,  who  had  regained  his  place,  remained  stand- 
ing among  his  friends.  There  was  a  deal  of  surging,  and  the 
majority  seemed  inclined  to  throw  themselves  on  those  five 
men  who  stood  there  so  defiantly  with  pale  faces.  M.  de 
]\Iarsy,  however,  angrily  rang  his  bell,  glancing  as  he  did  so 
at  the  gallery,  where  several  ladies  were  drawing  back  with  an 
appearance  of  alarm. 

'  Gentlemen,'  he  said,  '  it  is  scandalous.'  And  then, 
pilence  being  restored,  he  continued  in  a  loud  and  keenly 
authoritative  voice  :  '  I  do  not  wish  to  call  the  hon.  member 
a  second  time  to  order.  I  will  content  myself  with  saying 
that  it  is  disgraceful  in  the  extreme  to  proffer  from  this 
tribune  menaces  which  dishonour  it.' ' 

A  triple  burst  of  applause  greeted  these  words  from  the 
President.  The  members  of  the  majority  cried  '  bravo  ! '  and 
again  rattled  their  paper-knives,  but  this  time  in  approbation. 
The  opposition  deputy  wanted  to  say  something  in  reply,  but 
his  friends  restrained  him.  Then  the  tumult  gradually  sub- 
sided till  there  only  remained  a  buzz  of  private  conversa- 
tion. 

*  I  now  call  upon  His  Excellency  Monsieur  Rcugon,'  re- 
sumed M.  de  Marsy  in  a  quiet  tone. 

A  thrill,  a  sigh  of  satisfaction  as  it  were,  ran  through  the 
Chamber,  followed  by  earnest  attention.    With  slouching  gait 

'  A  second  call  to  order  would  have  carried  with  it  expulsion  and 
suspension  for  five  days,  according  to  the  rules  then  in  force.— ^(i, 


352  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

Eougon  had  ponderously  made  his  way  into  the  tribune.  He 
did  not  at  first  turn  his  eyes  upon  his  audience,  but  laid  a 
bundle  of  notes  in  front  of  him,  pushed  the  glass  of  su§;«red 
water  out  of  his  way,  and  stretched  his  hands  over  the 
narrow  mahogany  table  as  though  he  were  taking  possession 
of  it.  Then  at  last, .  leaning  against  the  President's  desk 
behind  him,  he  raised  his  face.  He  did  not  seem  to  grow  any 
older.  His  square  brow,  his  large  well  shaped  nose  and  his 
long  cheeks,  on  which  not  a  wruikle  showed,  still  had  a  pale 
rosy  tint,  the  fresh  complexion  of  some  country  notary.  It 
was  only  his  thick  hair  that  had  undergone  any  change.  It 
had  begun  to  grizzle  and  grow  thinner  about  his  temples, 
exposing  his  big  ears.  With  eyes  half- closed  he  glanced 
round  the  Chamber  as  if  looking  for  some  one ;  then  his 
glance  encountered  the  attentive  face  of  Clorinde,  who  was 
leaning  forward,  and  he  began  to  speak  in  a  heavy  laborious 
way. 

'  We  too  are  revolutionists,  if  by  that  term  is  meant  men 
of  progress  who  are  resolved  to  restore  to  the  country,  piece 
by  piece,  every  reasonable  liberty * 

'  Hear  !  hear  !  ' 

'  What  government,  gentlemen,  has  ever  surpassed  the 
Empire  in  according  a  generous  measure  of  liberal  reform, 
such  as  the  alluring  programme  you  have  heard  sketched  out  ? 
It  is  not  necessary  that  I  should  refute  the  speech  of  the 
honourable  member  who  has  just  spoken.  It  will  be  sufficient  to 
prove  to  you  that  the  Emperor  with  his  genius  and  noble  heart 
has  forestalled  the  demands  of  the  most  bitter  opponents  of  his 
rule.  Yes,  gentlemen,  of  his  own  accord,  our  sovereign  has  re- 
stored to  the  nation  the  power  with  which  it  entrusted  him 
during  a  period  of  public  danger.  A  magnificent  spectacle  of 
which  there  are  few  parallels  in  history  !  Oh  !  we  can  easily 
understand  the  discomfiture  experienced  by  certain  lawless  in- 
dividuals. They  are  reduced  to  attack  our  intentions,  to  carp  at 
the  measure  of  liberty  which  has  been  restored.  But  you  have 
fully  understood  and  appreciated,  gentlemen,  the  great  act  of 
the  twenty-fourth  of  November.  In  the  first  paragraph  of 
the  address  it  has  been  your  desire  to  express  to  the  Emperor 
your  deep  gratitude  for  his  magnanimity  and  his  confidence 
in  the  discretion  of  the  Corps  Legislatif.  To  adopt  the 
amendment  which  has  been  proposed  to  you  would  be  a 
gratuitous  insult.  I  will  even  say,  an  act  of  baseness. 
Consult  your  own  consciences,  gentlemen,  and  ask  yourselves 


TRANSFORM  A  TION  3  5  3 

whether  yoa  do  not  feel  that  you  are  free.     Liberty  has  been 
granted  whole  and  entire — that  I  formally  guarantee.' 

A  prolonged  outburst  of  applause  here  interrupted  him. 
He  had  gradually  drawn  to  the  edge  of  the  tribune,  and  now, 
bending  forward  with  his  right  arm  outstretched,  he  raised  his 
voice  which  rang  out  with  wonderful  power.  Behind  him, 
M.  de  Marsy  sat  back  listening  and  smiling  vaguely  like  a  con- 
noisseu.r  admiruig  some  brilliant  tour  de  force.  And  amidst 
the  loud  cheering  of  the  Chamber,  deputies  kept  bending  ■ 
forward,  whispering  or  looking  surprised  with  lips  com- 
pressed. Clorinde's  arms  rested  listlessly  on  the  crimson 
velvet  balustrade,  but  she  seemed  very  serious, 

Rougon  continued.  'Today,'  he  said,  'the  hour  for 
which  we  were  all  so  impatiently  waiting  has  at  length  struck. 
There  is  no  longer  any  danger  in  making  prosperous  France 
free  France  also.  The  anarchical  passions  are  dead.  The 
energy  of  the  Sovereign  and  the  solemn  determination  of  the 
people  have  for  ever  annihilated  all  abominable  epochs  of 
public  perversity.  Liberty  became  possible  on  the  day  when 
the  faction  which  had  so  obstinately  ignored  the  fundamental 
bases  of  sound  government  was  defeated ;  and  for  this  reason 
the  Emperor  has  deemed  fit  to  lay  aside  the  stei'n  strong  hand, 
to  decline  excessive  prerogatives  as  a  useless  burden,  rightly 
considering  his  rule  to  be  so  unassailable  that  discussion  may 
be  freely  allowed.  And  he  has  not  ■shunned  promises  for  the 
future,  he  will  carry  out  his  task  of  enfranchisement  to  the 
end,  giving  back  one  liberty  after  another  at  such  times  as 
shall  seem  fitting  to  his  wisdom.  Henceforth  it  is  a  pro- 
gramme of  continual  progress  that  it  will  be  our  duty  to 
support  in  this  assembly.' 

'  You,  yourself,  were  the  minister  of  the  fiercest  oppres- 
sion ! '  interrupted  one  of  the  five  deputies  on  the  left, 
indignantly  rising  from  his  seat.  And  another  passionately 
added :  '  The  purveyors  for  Cayenne  and  Lambessa  have  no 
right  to  speak  in  the  name  of  liberty  !  ' 

An  outburst  of  murmurs  followed.  Several  deputies,  who 
did  not  quite  catch  what  was  said,  bent  forward  and  questioned 
their  neighbours.  M.  de  Marsy  pretended  not  to  have  heard, 
and  contented  himself  with  threatening  to  call  all  interrupters 
to  order. 

'I  have  just  been  reproached — '  Eougon  resumed;  but 
shouts  now  rose  from  the  right  and  prevented  him  from  con- 
tinuing. 

A  A 


354  ^^rs  EXCELLENCY 

'  No,  no  !     Don't  reply  !  * 
'  Such  insults  are  unworthy  of  your  notice  !  ' 
Rougon  pacified  the  Chamber  by  a  gesture,  and  with  his 
big  fists  resting  on  the  edge  of  the  tribune,  he  turned  to  the 
left  with  the  expression  of  a  wild  boar  at  bay.      '  I  will  not 
reply,'  he  calmly  said. 

What  had  gone  before  was  merely  the  exordium  of  hia 
speech.  Although  he  had  stated  that  he  did  not  intend  to  refute 
the  assertions  of  the  deputy  of  the  left,  he  now  entered  upon 
a  minute  discussion.  He  began  by  clearly  stating  the  whole  of 
his  opponent's  argument?  ;  enumerating  them  with  an  air  of 
fairness  and  candour  Avhich  had  an  immense  effect ;  for  it  was 
as  though  he  disdained  these  arguments  and  could  destroy 
them  by  a  breath.  However,  as  he  went  on,  he  appeared  to 
forget  them  entirely,  and,  without  replying  to  any  of  them,  he 
attacked  the  weakest  with  indescribable  violence  and  quite 
overwhelmed  it  beneath  a  flood  of  words.  Applause  burst 
forth,  he  triumphed.  His  huge  body  seemed  to  fill  the 
tribune ;  his  shoulders  swayed  in  rhythm  with  his  periods. 
His  oratory  was  of  a  mediocre,  inartistic  order,  bristling  with 
legal  points  and  trite  commonplaces,  which  he  bellowed  forth 
in  thundering  tones.  He  shouted  and  brandished  trivialities  ; 
and  his  only  real  oratorical  gift  was  his  immense,  inexhaust- 
ible fund  ot  breath,  which  enabled  him  to  pour  forth  magni- 
loquent sentences  for  hours  together,  careless  of  what  they 
might  contain. 

After  he  had  spoken  for  an  hour  without  a  break,  he  gulped 
down  a  mouthful  of  water,  and  panted  a  little  while  rearrang- 
ing his  notes  in  front  of  him. 

'  Take  a  rest !  '  cried  several  deputies. 

But  he  did  not  feel  at  all  tired,  and  wanted  to  finish. 
'  What  is  it,  gentlemen,  that  is  asked  of  you  ?  '  he  re- 
sumed. 

'  Hush  !     Hush  ! ' 

Every  face  was  now  again  fixed  on  him  with  silent  straining 
attention.  At  certain  bursts  of  his  oratory  the  Chamber 
quivered  from  one  end  to  the  other,  as  though  a  gale  had 
swept  through  it. 

'  What  is  asked  of  you,  gentlemen,  is  that  you  should 
repeal  the  Public  Safety  Act.  I  will  not  now  recall  the  ever- 
accursed  hour  which  made  that  act  a  needful  weapon.  It 
was  necessary  to  reassure  the  country,  to  save  France  from 
a  fresh   cataclysm.     To-day  the  weapon   is   sheathed. 


TEA  NSFORMA  TION  3  5  5 

government,    which    invariably    used   it   with    the    greatest 
prudence — I  will  even  say  with  the  greatest  moderation ' 

'  Quite  true  ! ' 

'  The  government  now  only  uses  it  in  certain  altogether 
exceptional  cases.  It  inconveniences  no  one  except  those 
sectaries  who  still  cherish  the  guilty  madness  of  wishing  for 
the  return  of  the  basest  days  of  our  history.  Search  through 
our  towns,  search  through  our  villages,  everywhere  you  will 
find  peace  and  prosperity.  Inquire  of  all  orderly  citizens,  and 
you  will  not  find  one  who  feels  in  any  way  oppressed  by  those 
exceptional  laws  which  are  imputed  to  us  as  great  crimes.  I 
repeat  that,  in  the  paternal  hands  of  the  government,  they 
simply  continue  to  shield  society  against  all  hateful  attempts, 
the  success  of  which,  moreover,  is  henceforth  impossible. 
Honest,  well-disposed  men  have  no  occasion  to  trouble  them- 
selves about  their  existence.  Leave  them  to  their  slumber, 
until  our  Sovereign  shall  feel  justified  in  doing  away  with  them 
himself.  But  what  else  is  asked  of  you,  gentlemen  ?  Free- 
dom of  elections,  the  liberty  of  the  press,  every  kind  of  liberty 
that  can  be  imagined.  Ah  !  Let  me  pause  for  a  moment  to 
glance  at  the  great  things  which  the  Empire  has  already 
accomplished.  All  around  me,  wherever  I  turn  my  eyes,  I 
see  public  hberties  increasing  and  bearing  splendid  fruits.  I 
feel  the  profoundest  emotion.  France,  once  fallen  so  low,  is 
now  fast  recovering,  and  giving  to  the  world  the  example  of  a 
nation  winning  its  own  freedom  by  its  good  behaviour.  The 
days  of  trial  are  now  over.  There  is  no  longer  any  question 
of  a  dictatorship,  or  of  despotism.  We  are  all  workers  in  the 
cause  of  liberty ' 

'  Bravo  !  bravo  ! ' 

'  Freedom  of  elections  is  asked  for ;  but  is  not  universal  suf- 
frage on  the  widest  basis  the  primordial  source  of  the  Empire's 
existence  ?  Doubtless  the  government  recommends  its  candi- 
dates. But  does  not  the  revolutionary  party  support  its  own 
with  shameless  audacity  ?  We  are  attacked,  and  we  defend 
ourselves.  Nothing  could  be  fairer.  Our  opponents  would 
like  to  gag  us,  bind  us  hand  and  foot,  reduce  us  to  the  con- 
dition of  dead  bodies.  That  is  a  thing  which  we  can  never 
allow.  Our  love  for  our  country  requires  that  we  should 
advise  it  and  tell  it  where  its  true  interests  lie.  It  still  re- 
mains the  absolute  master  of  its  destinies.  It  votes  and  we 
bow  to  its  wishes.  Those  members  of  the  Opposition  who 
belong  to  this  assembly,  where  they  enjoy  entire  liberty  of 


356  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

speech,  are  themselves  a  proof  of  our  respect  for  the  decrees  of 
universal  suffrage.  The  revolutionary  party  must  settle  the 
matter  with  the  nation,  for  it  is  the  nation  that  supports  the 
Empire  by  overwhelming  majorities.  .  .  In  parliament  all  obsta- 
cles to  free  control  have  now  been  swept  aside.  Our  Sovereign 
has  been  pleased  to  accord  the  great  bodies  of  the  state  a  more 
direct  participation  in  his  policy,  and  a  conspicuous  proof  of 
his  confidence  in  them.  Henceforth  you  will  be  able  to  dis- 
cuss the  measures  of  the  government,  you  will  be  able  to 
exercise  the  right  of  amendment  in  the  fullest  degree,  as  well 
as  to  express  all  your  desires.  Every  year  the  discussion  on  the 
address  will  form,  as  it  were,  an  interview  between  the 
Emperor  and  the  representatives  of  the  nation,  at  which  the 
latter  will  be  able  to  say  whatever  they  please  with  perfect 
freedom.  It  is  by  free  and  open  discussion  that  powerful 
states  are  formed.  The  tribune  is  restored  to  you,  the  tribune 
which  so  many  orators,  whose  names  history  has  preserved, 
has  made  illustrious.  A  parliament  which  discusses  is  a 
parliament  that  works.  And,  to  tell  you  the  real  truth,  I  am 
glad  to  see  here  a  group  of  opposition  deputies.  There  will 
always  be  amongst  us  opponents  who  will  try  to  find  us  at 
fault,  and  who,  by  doing  so,  will  make  our  good  faith  show 
conspicuously.  We  solicit  the  most  generous  treatment  for 
them.  We  fear  neither  passion  nor  scandal,  nor  abuse  of  the 
freedom  of  speech,  dangerous  though  these  things  be. 

'  As  for  the  press,  gentlemen,  under  no  government  deter- 
mined upon  making  itself  respected  has  it  enjoyed  greater 
freedom  than  it  does  at  present.  Every  great  question  and 
every  serious  interest  has  its  organs.  The  government  only 
opposes  the  propagation  of  dangerous  doctrines,  the  dissemi- 
nation of  poisonous  ideas.  For  the  honourable  portion  of  the 
press,  which  is  the  great  voice  of  public  opinion,  I  assure  you 
that  we  entertain  the  most  absolute  respect.  It  assists  us  in 
our  task  ;  it  is  the  tool  of  the  age.  If  the  government  has 
taken  it  into  its  own  hands,  this  is  only  to  keep  it  from  falling 
into  those  of  its  enemies.' 

Approving  laughter  arose.  Eougon  was  now  drawing  near 
to  his  peroration.  He  gripped  the  frame-work  of  the  tribune 
with  the  stiffened  fingers  of  his  left  hand,  and  throwing  his 
whole  body  forward  he  swept  the  air  with  his  right  arm.  His 
words  flowed  forth  like  a  sonorous  torrent.  And  suddenly, 
amidst  his  glowing  praise  of  the  new  liberal  policy,  he  seemed 
overcome  by  wild  excitement.    He  shot  his  fist  forward  like  a 


TRANSFORM  A  TION  3  5  7 

battering  rata,  as  though  aiming  at  something  yonder  in 
empty  space.  This  invisible  enemy  was  the  spectre  of  the  Red 
Eevolution.  In  a  few  dramatic  sentences  he  depicted  that 
red  spectre  shaking  its  blood-stained  banner  and  waving  its 
incendiary  torch  as  it  rushed  on,  leaving  streams  of  mud  and 
gore  behind  it.  His  voice  rang  out  like  the  alarm-bell  of  the 
days  of  revolution,  while  bullets  whizzed  by,  and  the  Bank  of 
France  was  sacked  and  the  money  of  respectable  citizens  was 
stolen  and  shared.  The  deputies  turned  pale  in  their  seats  as 
they  listened.  But  then  Eougon  calmed  down,  and  concluded 
by  speaking  of  the  Emperor  in  warm  bursts  of  laudation, 
which  suggested  the  swaying  of  a  censer.  '  God  be  thanked  ! ' 
said  he.  '  We  are  under  the  protection  of  the  Prince  whom 
Providence  in  its  infinite  mercy  selected  to  save  us.  We  can 
safely  rest  beneath  the  shelter  of  his  wisdom.  He  has  taken 
us  by  the  hand,  and  is  leading  us  step  by  step  through  the 
breakers,  to  the  safety  of  the  harbour.'  ^ 

Vociferous  applause  resounded.  For  nearly  ten  minutes 
the  proceedings  were  interrupted.  A  crowd  of  deputies  rushed 
to  meet  the  minister  as  he  returned  to  his  seat,  with  perspira- 
tion streaming  down  his  face  and  his  figure  still  quivering 
from  such  an  expenditure  of  breath.  M.  La  Rouquette,  M.  de 
Combelot,  and  a  hundred  others  poured  forth  their  con- 
gratulations, and  stretched  out  their  arms  to  try  and  grasp 
his  hand  as  he  passed  them.  The  whole  Chamber  was 
heaving  with  excitement.  Even  the  occupants  of  the  galleries 
shouted  and  gesticulated.  Beneath  the  sun-lit  ceiling-window, 
amidst  the  gilding  and  the  marble,  all  the  severe  magnificence 
characteristic  both  of  a  temple  and  an  office,  there  raged 
commotion  such  as  one  might  find  in  a  public  square  on  some 
day  of  demonstration — bursts  of  doubting  laughter,  loud 
exclamations  of  astonishment  and  of  wild  admiration,  all  the 
clamour,  in  a  word,  of  a  passion-swayed  multitude. 

And  as  the  eyes  of  M.  de  Marsy  and  Clorinde  met,  they 
both  nodded  their  heads  in  confession  of  the  great  man's 
triumph.  The  speech  which  Rougon  had  just  delivered  was 
his  first  step  up  that  splendid  ladder  of  fortune  which  was  to 
carry  him  to  so  great  a  height. 

However,  a  deputy  had  mounted  the  tribune.  He  had  a 
clean-shaven  face,  a  waxy  complexion,  and  long  yellow  hair, 
with  sparse  curls  which   fell  over  his  shoulders.     Standing 

'  Sedan.— Ed. 


358  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

stiff  and  rigid,  he  consulted  some  big  sheets  of  paper,  the 
manuscript  of  a  speech,  which  he  finally  commenced  to  read 
in  an  unctuous  voice. 

*  Silence,  gentlemen,  silence  !  '  cried  the  usher. 

This  deputy  had  certain  explanations  to  ask  from  the 
government.  He  showed  great  irritation  at  the  dilatory 
attitude  of  France  in  presence  of  the  threats  of  Italy  against 
the  Holy  See.  The  temporal  power  of  the  Pope,  said  he,  was 
really  the  ark  of  God,  and  the  address  ought  to  contain  a 
formally  expressed  hope,  a  command  even,  that  this  power 
should  be  maintained  in  all  its  integrity.  The  speaker  launched 
out  into  historical  references,  and  showed  that  the  forces  of 
Christianity  had  established  political  order  in  Europe  many 
centuries  before  the  treaties  of  1815.  Then,  in  periods  tbat 
breathed  fear  and  consternation,  he  said  that  he  beheld  with 
the  greatest  alarm  the  olden  society  of  Europe  vanishing  in 
the  midst  of  popular  convulsions.  Every  now  and  then,  as 
he  indulged  in  too  direct  an  allusion  to  the  King  of  Italy, 
murmurs  sped  through  a  part  of  the  Chamber ;  but  the 
compact  group  of  clerical  deputies  on  the  right,  nearly  a 
hundred  strong,  listened  most  attentively,  accentuating  his 
slightest  references  by  an  expression  of  approval,  applauding, 
too,  every  time  that  he  named  the  Pope  with  a  slight  reverent 
inclination  of  the  head. 

A  chorus  of  bravos  greeted  his  last  words :  '  It  distresses 
me,'  he  said,  '  that  proud  Venice,  the  Queen  of  the  Adriatic, 
shoiild  become  the  obscure  vassal  of  Turin.' 

Eougon,  though  his  neck  was  still  wet  with  perspiration, 
his  voice  hoarse  and  his  big  frame  exhausted  by  his  previous 
exertions,  insisted  upon  replying  at  once.  It  was  a  remark- 
able sight.  He  made  a  parade  of  his  fatigue,  exhibited  it 
ostentatiously,  dragging  himself  to  the  tribune,  where  he 
began  by  stammering  faint  words.  He  bitterly  complained 
that  men  of  position,  hitherto  so  loyal  to  the  Imperial  insti- 
tutions, should  now  be  among  the  adversaries  of  the  govern- 
ment. There  must  surely  be  some  misunderstanding.  They 
could  not  wish  to  swell  the  ranks  of  the  revolutionists,  and 
weaken  a  power  which  made  constant  efforts  to  ensure  the 
triumph  of  religion.  And,  turning  towards  the  deputies  on 
the  right,  he  addressed  them  with  pathetic  gestures,  spoke 
to  them  with  a  humility  full  of  craft,  as  though  they  were 
powerful  foes,  the  only  foes  that  he  really  feared. 

Meantime  his  voice  gradually  recovered   all  its  previous 


TRANSFORMATION  359 

force,  and  once  more  he  filled  the  Chamber  with  a  bellowing 
roar,  striking  his  breast  the  while  with  his  closed  fist. 

'  We  are  accused  of  irreligion,'  he  cried.  '  It  is  a  false- 
hood !  We  are  the  reverent  children  of  the  Church,  and  it 
is  our  happiness  to  be  faithful  believers.  Yes,  gentlemen, 
faith  is  our  guide  and  our  support  in  this  task  of  governing, 
which  is  often  so  heavy  a  burden.  What,  indeed,  would 
become  of  us  if  we  did  not  trustfully  place  ourselves  in  the 
hands  of  Providence  ?  Our  only  pretension  is  to  be  the 
humble  executants  of  its  designs,  the  docile  instruments  of 
the  will  of  God.  It  is  this  which  enables  us  to  speak  out 
freely  and  to  accomplish  some  little  good.  And,  gentlemen, 
I  am  happy  that  this  opportunity  presents  itself  for  me  to 
bend  the  knee  with  all  the  fervour  of  a  true  Catholic  heart 
before  the  sovereign  Pontiff,  before  that  august  and  venerable 
old  man  whose  watchful  and  devoted  daughter  France  will 
ever  remain.' 

Before  he  had  well  finished,  the  Chamber  resounded  with 
applause.  His  triumph  was  becoming  an  apotheosis.  The 
very  walls  shook. 

When  they  were  all  leaving,  Clorinde  watched  for  Rougon 
to  pass  by.  He  and  she  had  not  exchanged  a  word  for  the 
last  three  years.  When  he  made  his  appearance,  looking 
younger  and  lighter,  having  in  a  single  hour  given  the  lie  to 
ail  his  previous  political  life,  ready  to  satisfy,  under  the  fiction 
of  constitutionalism,  his  rageful  craving  for  power,  she  yielded 
to  an  impulsive  feeling  and  stepped  towards  him,  with  hand 
outstretched  and  moist  caressing  eyes.  '  Ah  !  '  said  she,  'in 
spite  of  everything,  you  are  a  wonderfully  able  fellow  ! ' 


THE   END 


LOURDES. 

EMILE  ZOLA. 

Sole  Authorized  Version  in  the  English  Langtiage, 

TRANSLATED    BY 

ERNEST    ALFRED   VIZETELLY. 

i6mo.     Cloth.     2  vols,  in  box,  $2,00. 

"  \o  one  who  has  read  the  new  romance  of  the  great  master  of  Medan  will  hon- 
estly question  for  a  moment  wliether  the  sensation  it  has  caused  and  the  contro- 
versy it  has  revived  are  due  to  its  intrinsic  merits,  or  are  a  mere  echo  of  the  achieve- 
ments of  its  author  in  a  more  turbulent  field.  .  .  .  The  truth  is  that  '  Lourdes  ' 
marks  a  breaking-away  from  orthodox  Zolaism,  and  is  at  the  same  time  the  most 
perfect  specimen  of  literary  art  yet  produced  by  M.  Zola.  .  .  .  '  Lourdes '  is 
beyond  question  his  best-written  book,  a  model  of  powerful  and  poetic  narrative, 
brilliant  in  style,  in  form,  and  in  colour." — Graphic. 

"' Lourdes  '  will  excite  the  greatest  curiosity  and  interest.  .  .  .  His  endeavour, 
evidently,  is  to  tell  us  exactly  what  may  be  seen  by  a  person  who  accompanies  the 
pilgrimage  without  any  belief  in  its  miracles,  either  for  or  against.  But  as  no  man 
who  uses  his  eyes  can  help  having  a  point  of  view,  M.  Zola  nectssarily  has  one  of 
his  own.  It  is  that  of  the  pure  rationalist,  who  has  to  accept  certain  extraordinary 
manifrstaiions  of  curative  power  in  the  waters,  and  at  the  same  time  to  account 
for  them  on  purely  scientific  grounds." — Daily  Neivs. 

"'Lourdes'  is  written,  it  must  be  admitted,  in  the  great  writer's  finest  and 
most  lucid  style.  ...  As  an  impartial  study  of  what  goes  on  at  the  great  Conti- 
nental shrine,  M.  Zola's  book  is  profoundly  curious." — To-Day. 

"  M.  Zola's  work  of  faith-healing  and  miraculous  cures  is,  in  our  opinion,  as 
solidly  good  as  anythmg  he  has  done  .  .  .  The  volume,  like  his  last,  contains 
some  detached  fragments  of  great  literary  beauty." — At/touputii. 

"A  great  and  notable  book.  .  .  .  The  greatest  living  master  of  the  French 
novel  could  not  have  triumphed  at  a  more  opportune  moment  The  glory  of  the 
book  is  the  inexhaustible,  owerflowing  human  syinpathy  which  transfuses  it  from 
end  to  end.  ...  As  you  read  the  heart  is  set  beating.  ..  .  Instead  of  a  mere  name, 
'  Lourdes'  will  always  be  something  of  a  reality  to  every  reader  of  Zola's  admi- 
rable pages.  .  .  .  Very  many  of  the  incidents  in  the  book  are  of  the  happiest,  and 
some  of  them  attain  to  a  pathos  to  equal  which  comparisons  must  besought  in  the 
masterpieces  of  romance.  .  .  .  '  Lourdes.'  indeed,  is  in  almost  every  respect  a 
signal  triumph,  a  book  to  be  read  and  to  be  thankful  {or.'"— A'ational  Observer. 

"  The  interest  of  '  Lourdes  '  is  twofold.  It  is  a  picture  drawn  by  a  master  hand 
of  the  actualities  of  the  pilgrimage  as  it  exists  to-day  ;  and  it  is  an  attempt  by  a 
keen  mind  to  present  psychic  healing  in  such  a  form  as  to  be  understood  and  leal- 
ized  by  the  average  reader." — Rtvietv  0/ Re7'ieu's. 


THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY, 

66   FIFTH   AVENUE,  NEW   YORK, 


ROME. 

BY 

EMILE    ZOLA. 


Sole  Authorized  Version  in  iJic  Ejiglhh  Language. 


TRANSLATED    I'.Y 

ERNEST    ALFRED    VIZETELLY. 

i6mo.     Cloth.     2  vols,  in  box,  $2.00. 


■'  The  book  is  a  magnificent  document  on  contemporary  facts.  It  is  contempo- 
rary history  seen  through  the  eyes  of  the  greatest  living  newspaper  reporter."  — 
Xeiu  York  Sun. 

'■  The  whole  reading  world  knows  how  strong  M.  Zola  is  when  at  his  best, 
liow  he  rushes  one  along  in  a  very  whirlwind  of  interest.  In  '  Rome  '  he  is  at  his 
best  more  often,  perhaps,  than  in  any  of  his  previous  works.  Whether  you  agree 
or  disagree  with  the  opinions  of  the  man,  you  cannot  help  admiring  his  literary 
penius,  his  transcendent  faculty  of  description." — Ihsto7i  Saturday  Evening 
Gazette. 

"There  are  tragedies  and  wonderfully  t  )ld  bits  of  history  and  descriptions  of 
historical  ^ipots  in  this  Rome,  once  the  queen  of  ilie  world.  As  a  descriptive 
writer  Zola  is  unsurpassed  All  earnest  thinkers,  no  matter  what  their  religion, 
should  read  the  book." — Boston  Thnes. 

"  Emi'e  Zola's  great  book,  two  volumes  in  size,  gives  the  most  minute  descrip- 
tion not  only  of  the  Vatican,  but  one  might  say  of  the  whole  city  of  Rome.  It  is 
one  of  the  greatest  books  ever  written,  and  must  in  its  just  arraignment  of  Roman 
Catholicism  make  the  deepest  impression  on  the  public." — Clez'tlami  Le,ider. 

"It  is  full  of  dramatic  force  and  offers  many  absorbing  situations.  It  is  a 
work  of  power."  — /'«i?'//V  Opinion. 

"  No  work  of  fiction  that  has  in  recent  years  been  written  in  or  translated  into 
the  English  language  can  we  more  heartily  recommend.  Rome  might  well  be 
seen  with  this  volume  in  hand  instead  of  Baedeker  as  a  guide — and  with  this  ad- 
vantage, the  pilgrim  would  then  have  the  life  added  to  the  structure." — Ameri- 
can Hfbrfiv, 


THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY, 


66    FIFTH   AVENUE,  ii^^  NEW   YORK. 


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